From Dusk till Dawn
by Sparkling-nexis137
Summary: It's been twenty years since Monkey D. Luffy became King of the Pirates. Now one girl is on an adventure to achieve the same goal. *Characters Accepted!*
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

** An Odd Farewell  
**

_Hissssssssssssssssssss_

"Gooooooood." The machine wrapped around the inside of the small hut continued to hiss and thrum, steam occasionally bursting forth from some of the large pipes. Some parts jiggled and rumbled as their gears clicked and clacked through their processes, and other parts bubbled as liquid boiled inside. Standing in the middle of the room was a teenage girl, alternating between observing the machinery and sketching notes away on a clipboard.

She looked to be about sixteen years old, slender with smooth, healthy skin. Her black hair was tied in a short, high ponytail, and she was wearing a blue spaghetti strap top, a pair of black shorts with black suspender straps sliding over her shoulders, and a pair of black boots. She was very beautiful, although there were two things that might set some to give her a strange look. The first was that her right eye was covered by a black eye-patch with a grinning jack-o-lantern stitched into it, and the second, which was probably the most noticeable, was her arm. Where her right arm should have been was a menacing mechanical arm instead. It looked like something straight from a horror story, scary in its entirety with specialized knives made to look like talons instead of fingers.

The girl quickly turned her head and rushed over to a certain part of the machine as it began to rumble. For a moment she just stared with intense concentration as the rumbling increased.

'_Come on…Come on…' _

She continued to stare until finally the machine stopped shaking, going completely still. There was a moment of pure silence in the hut. Finally, after about ten second of waiting, the machine hissed letting out a large amount of steam, and causing a long stream of dark liquid to pour into a waiting cup below.

"MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!" The girl laughed maniacally while striking a triumphant pose. "At last! My "Make the best Hot Cocoa in the World" machine is complete!! MWAHAHAHAHA!!"

Suddenly, the entire hut began to rumble. The machine began producing large amounts of steam. Leaks broke out in the pipes. The girl began looking quickly around.

"Oh, No. Nononononononononononono!" she quickly ran over to a desk, opened the drawer, and, after a second of rummaging, pulled out about six different colors of duct tape, some nails, planks, and a hammer. She began rushing around the hut in a panic trying to patch up all the leaks as quickly as possible.

"Come on, come on, come on, come on…" The machine began to increase in rumbling until, finally, the entire machine let off an extremely bright white light.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!" The girl covered her head.

* * *

In a not too far away village, all the citizens were busily going about their work, tending the crops, doing the laundry, and all the things that small towns do. The buildings of the town were mainly colored black, purple, blue, and other dark colors as an orange sky hung overhead.

"Ah, another beautiful day." said a man standing up from tending the garden before whipping the sweat from his brow. He was youthful looking man with scruffy copper hair, and a simple outfit.

"Kitsubu-san!" The man turned his head to see a man with black hair approaching him with a donkey-pulled cart plodding along beside him.

"Ah, Tezuka-san. Good afternoon."

"Good afternoon to you too." said the man smiling. "So, is that daughter of yours ready for her big day?" The copper haired man smiled nervously, and started rubbing the back of his head.

"Weeeeeell…" An enormous explosion sounded off in the not too distant background. "She may need a liiiiiiittle more time."

The black haired man sweat-dropped.

* * *

A distance away, in place of where the hut had once been, lied a pile of charred wood, and scorched metal. All was silent around it. A small squirrel came over to investigate the pile right before a metal arm thrust up through the wreckage startling it and causing it to flee. The arm bent down, pressing on the wreckage, before the rest of the girl's body emerged.

"Owowowowowow…" she muttered to herself rubbing her head. "You know, it'd be nice if, just for once, one of my inventions decided to just stop working instead of simply _having_ to explode."

"Jacklyn!" The girl turned her head towards a woman with long black hair that was jogging towards her.

"Hi, Mom!" said Jacklyn waving.

"Another explosion?" asked the woman smirking slightly as she slowed to a stop.

"What do you mean another?" asked Jacklyn, pouting slightly. "I haven't had _that_ many."

"No, no. Just six in the last two weeks. I hear that's quite normal for arsonists."

"Who are you calling an arsonist?!" yelled Jacklyn, waving her arms in frustration.

"Now, is that really any way to act on my big girl's special day?" Jacklyn stopped her angry waving to pause for a second before smiling brightly.

"You're right! It _is_ today!"

"Oh, why? Oh, why did I get such an absent minded daughter?" asked the mother overdramatically.

"Who are you calling absent minded?!" yelled Jacklyn, once again waving her arms angrily.

* * *

The entire town was dressed in their finest clothing, which to anyone not from this particular island, might have been viewed as clothing for a very interesting funeral. The town's people were divided on either side of a large black arc, with a large, round man in a black tuxedo with a ridiculously tall top hat standing in the middle. Organ music started to play from somewhere in the town. Every one turned to the end of the tunnel of people, away from the arc, to stare in anticipation. A moment after the music started, Jacklyn appeared in a gothic style wedding dress that mixed shades of black and purple with dark blue flowers above the veil. She began to slowly walk down the aisle of people in town square in time to the music.

All the towns people were either crying hysterically, or shouting wishes of good luck and much prosperity. Some old ladies began throwing rice as Jacklyn just kept still behind her veil. She finally reached the end of the aisle. The large man smiled before he took out a book, and began reading.

"Dearly beloved. We are gathered here today to…"

"I OBJECT!!!" Everyone turned to stare as a copper haired man ran down the aisle towards the arc.

"I object to this union! I haven't approved any marriage! I don't even know who the groom is!"

"It's not a wedding, dear."

"Huh?" The town's people began to talk amongst themselves.

"No dear." said Jacklyn's mother walking up to her husband.

"Then what in the name of pumpkin pie is going on here?!"

"It's her send-off ceremony." said the mother, turning towards her daughter. "Our little girl is becoming a pirate."

"Oh, of course. I knew that." said the dad nodding. "But why is she wearing a wedding dress? And why does this seem exactly like a wedding?!"

"I've been wondering that myself." said Jacklyn flipping back her veil.

"Weeeell…" The mother began nervously scratching her nose.

"You see, deary," said an old lady from the crowd. "The one event that the entire town has been looking for ever since you came of age was the day that you would get married. We didn't know to whom exactly, but we knew it would happen eventually." Jacklyn nodded.

"Then you decided to go off, and become a pirate." said another old lady. "Naturally this put a bit of a damper on our plans. I mean, what if something happened to you while you were out at sea? Or what if you meet some boy, and felt so passionately about him that you couldn't wait until you came home? We had to take precautions."

"So, the village decided that, since we were going to have a going away party for you anyway, we'd do it in a wedding style so that we'd all get to see it." said the mom.

"…Seriously?" asked Jacklyn with a cocked eyebrow.

"Unless, of course, you'd like to quickly pick a groom, and get hitched for real." said the first old lady.

"Oh, pick me! Pick me!" said one boy in the crowd.

"No, pick me!" said another. Jacklyn sighed as various boys in the crowd began jostling for her attention.

"Can we just get on with it?" she asked looking pleadingly at the man in the extremely tall top hat.

"Of course." said the man as he opened up his book again. "Dearly beloved. Friends, family, and town's people. We are gathered here today to celebrate, and mourn, the departure of our very own Jacklyn Kitsubu as she embarks on her journey into the world of piracy." Several people in the crows started tearing up.

"She will be severely missed, but we know that one day she will return to us as one of the greatest pirate who ever lived." The man smiled at Jacklyn, who smiled back.

"Now, as we prepare to say our good-byes, let's take a moment to appreciate all the wonderful things she's done for the village, most noticeably our town's pride and joy, The Twilight Generator." The mayor turned around to indicate a large, very tall black machine sitting in the middle of town square. It looked rigid, and gothic in style with two large mirrored panels on top and orange light leaking out from several separations in the metal plating. The mayor turned back around smiling.

"Yes, the Twilight Generator. And it only took her seventeen models, forty-seven explosions, and numerous bandages to get it right." Everyone in the crowd started snickering.

"Hey! That generator is an essential part of the town!" yelled Jacklyn.

"Oh, and let's not forget the multiple hours of brainstorming and modifications it took to figure out what it could be used for." Jacklyn sweat dropped before crossing her arms and taking on a nonchalant expression. Everyone laughed once again.

"Now, Jacklyn Kitsubu. Do you solemnly swear to do your best as a pirate, to never give up, never surrender, and never stop aiming for your dreams as long as you may live till something does you in, or you die of old age?"

"I do." said Jacklyn smiling.

"Then, as mayor of Dusk Town, I now pronounce you an official pirate! You may kiss, I mean, you may now go out to sea to pursue your dreams, but make sure you come back." The man smiled kindly before closing his book. The town's people cheered as Jacklyn just stood and smiled.

'_Weirdest going away party ever.'_

* * *

Jacklyn stood at the docks of the town with the rest of the village before her. Her parents approached her and gave her a big hug.

"Now make sure to take care of yourself." said her mother with tears in her eyes.

"I will." said Jacklyn smiling back. Her father started crying profusely.

"WE'LL MISS YOU SO MUCH!!!!" he yelled grasping her in tight hug.

"I'll miss you too." she said returning the hug. "Don't worry. I'll be back…eventually."

"We'll keep you to that promise." said an old lady from the crowd as she walked forward. She had long black hair, wore a white robe with a brown vest, and walked with a large wooden staff.

"Elder Kara."

"I'll be watching you." she said smiling as several crows started cawing in the background.

"I have no doubt." she said smiling.

"If you see my granddaughter while out at sea, tell her I said hello. Oh, and, before I forget, give her this too." Elder Kara reached into her robe, and pulled out a medium sized black box tied with a red ribbon.

"It shall be done." Jacklyn took the box, and smiled at everyone one last time before stepping off the dock onto what looked like a steel plated bathtub with a happy bat figure head and a pair of small paddle wheels on the side. She took out a small vile filled with some glowing orange substance from the large bag of things she had on board, and stuck it in the back of the bat's head. Immediately the bat's eye lit up. The wheel on the boat started moving, propelling the vessel forward. Jacklyn turned around to wave good-bye as the boat continued to move forward.

"Bye everyone! I'll be back before you know it!" The crowd immediately started waving and shouting after her.

"Take care."

"Do your best."

"I love you Jacklyn! Come back and marry me!"

"Quiet, you!"

Jacklyn smiled. They may be weird, although she was far from normal herself, but they were her family, and she loved them all. Besides, weird is where it's at! After about five minutes of paddeling, her boat sailed beyond the curtain of twilight that always hung over Dusk island, and she was immediately surrounded by the brilliant white light of day. She had to shield her single eye for several moments before it began to adjust to the unaccustomed light.

"So bright." she muttered to herself before removing her hand. She looked back at her island. From outside the twilight curtain, the island itself was simply a menacing shadow, making it look as if some dark monster resided within. Although she could no longer see the island, she knew they could probably see her. She gave one final wave before turning back around towards the helm.

'_Don't worry everyone. I won't return until my dream is fulfilled.' _she thought to herself. _'When I return, I'll be Queen of the Pirates.' _

The boat continued to quietly chug along, further into the light of the outside world.

"Wait, did I remember to pack a map?"

* * *

**Crew members:**

Jacklyn Kitsubu: Captain/ Mechanic

**Hey everyone! Sparkling_nexis137 in the house! Note: That's nexis with an I, cause that's how I roll. *makes gangster face* Just kidding! XDDD**

**Okay, yes, I know, there are probably ten kagillion submit your own character stories out there, but A) Everyone loves to play with them, B) They can sometimes turn out to be the most fun of all stories, and C) I wanted to make one, so, by gummit, I did, and if you don't like that…I'll accept your opinion, though I'll probably cry a little. ;-;**

**Anyway, to submit a character, please fill out the application below. Now, remember, your characters cannot have any previous acquaintance with any of the Straw Hat crew, nor can they have any grudges against them. We're looking for a lot of characters, so feel free to submit anytime, and remember, I HEART YOU ALL!!!!! ^o^**

Name: (Full Name)

Age:

Gender:

Specialty/Position: (Thief, Marksman, Navigator, Swordsman? What is your Character good at and what would their position on the crew be?)

Race: (Please, Canon One Piece Races only)

Devil Fruit/Weapon/Attacks: (Devil Fruit are not required. Please make a list of attacks/weapons used)

Physical Appearance: (Be as descriptive as possible, please)

History: (Again, descriptive is good)

Personality: (Include positive traits, negative traits, hobbies, fears and whatever else you can think about.)

Likes:

Dislikes:

Dream:

Other: (Anything else you can think to add)


	2. Showdown in Shiroishi Part 1

**From Dusk till Dawn**

**Showdown in Shiroishi: Part I**

**Tavern troubles**

* * *

"Now where's that island?"

Jacklyn had been staring through her spyglass for the last thirty minutes. The spyglass itself was interesting in design, colored black with small bat wings on the side, and a lens that looked similar to a big eyeball.

"Still nothing. You think if I could remember to pack my 'Spyglass Eye Bat Look-o-nometer' then I could at least remember to bring a map. Of course, I really don't know much about reading maps, but I could figure something out!"

Jacklyn lowered the device and sighed. She took a moment to look up towards the sky, covering her eyes against the sun.

"So bright…" she muttered to herself. "It's been so long since I've seen the sun like this..." Jacklyn stared for a couple moments, her eyes losing focus. She eventually shook her head to get back to reality.

"I know! Instead of waiting for an island to show up, I should take advantage of this glorious opportunity." Quickly, Jacklyn began shuffling around in her bag.

"No, no, no, that's not it." she said briefly checking off a list of things that she wasn't looking for. "A-HA!" She quickly pulled out a pair of sunglasses. "Perfect!" She snapped the sunglasses in place on her face, and pulled the suspender straps off her shoulders. She then proceeded to pull off her top revealing a series of brown strips of cloth wound around her chest making sure nothing that didn't need to be seen was seen, but leaving her shoulders and everything above and below the chest exposed. She readjusted the sack and then leaned back one it with her arms behind her head.

"Ladies and gentlemen, it's time to tan."

* * *

Meanwhile, on an island not too far away…

"Akai! We've got an order for table two!" The local tavern was buzzing with activity. The entire place was solidly built of wood with a fire burning warmly in the hearth, and the piano music playing in the background made it all the more lively. Every table was filled with patrons busy eating, drinking, and overall having a good time.

"Akai?"

"Forget it, Meg." A large bald man behind the bar was busy cleaning out glasses with a rag. He wore a sleeveless white shirt with black pants, and had a blonde mustache covering everything above the edge of his top lip. "He's always falling asleep on the job."

"Shut it, Larry." The girl called Meg leaned out window leading from the kitchen to the main area. From what could be seen she had blonde hair, and wore a floppy, beige hat and a loose beige shirt with a matching jacket over it.

"HEY, AKAI!!!" A crash could be heard from somewhere further in the restaurant. "See, I can get his attention when I need it." said Meg smirking.

A tall male with jet black hair, amber brown eyes, and a nasty case of bed head came running around the corner wearing a formal black suit.

"Hey, sleepy head. Have a nice nap?"

"My apologies."

"Eh, stop being so formal, and take this plate to table two, okay?"

"Yes, Ma'am."

"What'd I just say about being formal?"

The one known as Akai bowed humbly in acknowledgment before taking the plates to the designated table.

"Hey, have you heard the rumors?" Akai stopped upon hearing the customer's tone of voice.

"What?"

"They say a ship landed on the other side of the island."

"So?"

"It was a pirate ship."

"No way."

"Your food." Akai laid the plates on the table.

"Thanks."

"Yah, thanks." Akai bowed before stepping back to eavesdrop further.

"Did they know what the flag it is?"

"Not yet, but there are people keeping a look out."

"Hopefully they're just here for supplies. As long as we stay out of their way, they'll stay out of ours."

"Yah, hopefully."

Akai silently turned around, and walked back towards the kitchen.

"What took you so long." said Meg smiling. "Did the customer ask you to chew their food for you?"

"Ship."

"A ship?"

"Pirate ship." Meg narrowed her eyes.

"Where?"

"East side."

"Get the guns."

* * *

The island harbor was abuzz with the sound of sailors, merchants, and other seafaring folk loading and unloading cargo, repairing ships, and overall preparing for the thrill of the sea.

_Clink_

"What was that?"

Several sailors turned their heads at the sound of metal hitting on stone. They walked over towards the noise, and stared.

"Who is that?"

"More like what is that?"

"Look at that arm!"

"What are those things sticking out of her chest?"

"Is she sitting in a…bathtub?"

"Maybe we should get the captain."

Suddenly the girl in the boat shot up causing all the sailors to stumble back.

"Huh?" She rubbed her eyes sleepily.

"Where am I?"

"Are you okay?" The girl turned her head towards one of the people gathered around her.

"Who are you?"

"P-private Nagamura of the marines."

"Oh…okay. Can you tell me where I am?"

"Shiroishi Island. C-can I ask what those are?"

"What what are?"

"Those." He said pointing at her chest.

"These."

"Yes, Ma'am."

"Well, um, you see women are different than men in that they have…"

"Nonononononono, not those ma'am. The things above them."

"Oh, thooooose! Why didn't you just say so?"

"So, what are they."

"That's classified."

"Classified?"

"Yes. You must have level five security clearance before you are allowed to know what these are."

"Level five?"

"Yes."

"That's extremely high. Are you a….a Commodore."

"Nope."

"A Vice Admiral?"

"Nope. I'm not even a marine."

"Then why do we need clearance?!"

"You don't, but it'd be nice." The girl smiled. Those gathered around fell backwards slamming into the ground.

"Well, if this little investigation is done," she said standing up.

"They folded into her chest!"

"I need to find someplace to have lunch." The girl stood up before picking a metal canister, and securing a large orange ball on long chain to her right hip. She quickly put on her shirt, put a pair of suspender straps on her shoulders, and stepped onto the harbor.

"Any suggestions?"

"Uh, um, uh, p-people like to go to the local tavern to eat." said a stunned marine.

"Thanks. And which way might that be?" The marine pointed. "Thanks again." The girl walked off.

"W-wait!" The girl turned around with a blank look on her face.

"Yeeees?"

"M-may I ask what your name is?" The girl smiled.

"Jacklyn. Jacklyn Kitsubu."

* * *

Larry turned his head as he heard the door to the kitchen burst open. Meg walked out, a determined look plastered across her face. Now that she was out of the window, it was revealed that along with her shirt and jacket she was also wearing a pair of matching brown pants with a leather belt, and a tall pair of black boots.

"And where're you off to in such huff?" asked Larry still cleaning a glass.

"Where do ya think?"

"Well, considering Akai's in the back getting the weapon's ready, my guess is that the two of you are off to do some pirate hunting."

"You'd guess right." Larry sighed.

"Look. You know I don't like pirates being on our island any more than you, but it's too dangerous to go out and hunt for 'em. If we just leave them alone then maybe they'll leave us alone, and be gone before you know it."

"Larry, do you seriously expect…"

"Let me finish." said the bartender raising a hand to silence the cook. "And if worst come to worse, they come here lookin' for trouble, and we show them the business end of a gun. Got it?" Meg glared at him for a while before huffing and turning her head to the side.

"Good." A bell rang from upfront signaling the entrance of another customer. "Now why don't you just head back to the kitchen, and get ready to fix this new person up some grub?"

"Yah, o…" Meg never got to finish her statement as her face took on an astonished look. Larry stared curiously at her for a second before turning his head to see what the big deal was. His eyes widened.

The noise of the tavern gradually came to a halt as everyone stared at the new entrant.

"Um, is this the local tavern?" said the customer, curiously eye the gaping people with her one good eye.

The people continued to stare silently before Meg turned to look at Larry, and punched him in the arm.

"Ow, what was…" Larry rubbed his arm before turning to the customer. "Yes, welcome to the Shiroishi Tavern."

"Oh, good." said the girl smiling, looking very relieved. "I was worried I came to the wrong place." The girl began cheerfully walking towards the bar.

"Tell Akai to hurry up with those guns." whispered Meg as she walked back through the kitchen door. Larry continued staring after her before turning to the girl taking a seat on the barstool directly in front of him.

"What can I get for you?"

"Your finest glass of fruit juice, please." said the girl, who turned out to be none other than Jacklyn, smiling.

"Fruit juice?"

"Is that a problem?" Larry chuckled to himself before reaching under the bar.

"No no, no trouble at all." The bartender stood back up holding an unopened red bottle. "It's just we usually don't get many orders for fruit juice in this place. Usually we only keep it for the kids who are too young to drink the hard stuff."

"Hard stuff?"

"You know, alcohol." said Larry raising an eyebrow.

"Ooooh, well I'm not much of an alcohol drinker. We don't really have it on my home island. Some of the older men drink it, but that's it."

"Weird Island."

"Yah, the closest thing we have is Tippy Juice."

"Tippy Juice?"

"Yah, there's a plant on my home island whose fruits have the same effect as a full bottle of sake. Since anyone who eats it or drinks any of its juice gets really tipsy, we call it Tippy Juice."

"Some plant." said Larry smirking. "I think I'd like to get my hands on something like that."

"Stop chattin' up the customer, and get her order." Jacklyn turned her head to see the blonde girl from earlier staring at her from the corner of her eye.

"Be nice, Meg." Meg just turned and huffed.

"Is there a problem?" Jacklyn craned her head backwards to stare up at the chin of a tall male in a formal suit.

"What took you so long?" asked Meg glaring at the male.

"Sorry." The unknown person threw something to Meg, who caught it through the window. Jacklyn sat upright again to see Meg taking out a cloth to polish the flintlock pistol now in her hand.

"Nice gun." said Jacklyn.

"Thanks." said Meg coldly. "I would have thought some_thing_ like you would have thought it obsolete, or something." Jacklyn narrowed her eyes.

"What do you mean some_thing_?"

"Meg!" shouted Larry, angry.

"What?! Look at that arm! And that eye patch! She could be one of the pirates."

"She's done nothing wrong! You can't go off assuming that she's some criminal without proof."

"Whatever." Meg burst her way out of the kitchen yet again. She quickly walked past Jacklyn, purposely bumping into her shoulder, before heading towards the door.

"Come on, Akai." Akai, now holding a large shotgun, quickly walked after her.

"And where do you think you two are headed."

"Out! I'm tired of sitting around like lumps as a log. Besides, the company in here just went way below standard." The pair of fire arms users walked out the door, slamming it behind them.

The room got quiet again before the crowd slowly began to relax. It wasn't nearly as loud as before, but after seeing a metal armed girl come in and pair of angry people with guns walk out it was all that was to be expected.

"What's with her?" asked Jacklyn.

"She's just reliving old memories." said Larry.

"What do you mean?" Larry sighed.

"Well, you see, neither of them are originally from this island. The two arrived together about a year ago. Said that they'd met while at sea." Jacklyn nodded. "Before they came, this place only got about a tenth of the customers it has now."

"A tenth. How did they increase business so much?"

"That would be due to Meg's cooking for the most part."

"Is she that good?"

"Good enough to put my place on the map. We started making so much money that we expanded the place. We were thinking of turning it into a full-fledged restaurant."

"What happened?"

"About three months ago a pirate crew came to town. They trashed everything. Burnt the place straight into the ground."

"Ouch."

"We had to use all the money we had saved up just to rebuild the place. The customers you see now are the main sign of our recovery."

"Geez, no wonder she's so riled up."

"Now you see why she's so angry at pirates."

"But what about that Akai person?" Larry gave a short laugh.

"He's a mystery, even to himself. He can't remember anything from a certain point in his life, and he doesn't really talk much about anything before he came here. The two don't really talk about their pasts, and I don't bother to ask 'em."

"That's very respectful of you."

"Now, since you've been askin' me all these questions, might I ask one of you?"

"Sure. Go right ahead." said the girl smiling.

"The arm."

"What about it?"

"Where'd it come from?"

"Do you mean where this arm came from, or where the original went."

"Either way."

"Well, I made this one."

"You made it?"

"Yep. I'm a mechanic. All things inventive and mechanical are my specialty."

"Okay. Now how about the whereabouts of the original."

"The original went the same place as my eye." she said moving her hand up to the eye patch she currently wore before taking on a dark expression. "Both were eaten out by evil shadow monsters. They were brutally ripped from my body as I lay there screaming from the pain of being eaten alive. I had to watch one of their children rip my eye from out of my skull before eating it while my other eye watched."

"…"

"…"

"Did that really happen?"

"No." Larry slammed his head down hard on the bar.

"So, might I ask what _really_ happened to them?" he said rubbing his head.

"Sorry, that's a secret." said Jacklyn swinging her legs off the side of the stool before hopping off it. "Hold this for me." She laid a rectangular metal box on the counter before heading for the door.

"Hold on a second. Where are you off to?"

"The moon. I hear it's lovely this time of year."

"I mean seriously." Jacklyn turned around.

"Well, I can't have those two getting themselves into trouble alone, can I?" she said with an expression that said that it should be the obvious thing in the world.

"What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to go throw the two of them a birthday party, and we're all going to have cake and watch as colorful sea creatures float through the sky singing songs of merriment and joy."

"Stop fooling around." Jacklyn smiled.

"I'm going to go and help them beat the crud out of those pirates."

"But you don't know anything about them."

"True. I suppose if they're nice pirates then we could reach a peaceful agreement, but going on the assumption they're not, I'm going to go kick their butts."

"They could be really strong."

"I'm strong too."

"There could be a million of them."

"Then I'll have to buy a new pair of boots after kicking a million butts."

"Their captain could have a five hundred million beri bounty on him."

"Well, then, I guess that we're all doomed and we might as well put our heads between our legs, and kiss our butts good-bye."

"Be serious!" Jacklyn smiled while putting her hands behind her head.

"Don't worry. Everything will be fine. Those two out there don't seem like weaklings, and neither am I. We'll be back before you know it." Jacklyn flashed him the a peace sign with the knife like talons of her right hand. Larry tried to come up with more arguments, but eventually just sighed in defeat.

"Promise you'll keep that box nice and safe."

"Yeah, sure."

"Great! See you in a bit." Jacklyn waved before running out the door. Larry smiled before picking up another glass to wipe.

"Crazy kids."

* * *

**Hey everyone! Sorry it took me so long to update. I haven't been able to write a word for a month because of these stupid exams, and I rewrote this chapter like three times before I was satisfied. I really hope you like it. Meg was submitted by **_TheAwesomeOne_ **while Akai was submitted by**MaERIiKoH. **Thanks soooooo much to everyone who submitted a character!! Please continue to submit as many characters as you like! I needs them! I NEEDS THEM SOOOOO!!! (Okay, crazy moment over for now. XP) Until next time everyone. ^^**


	3. Showdown in Shiroishi Part 2

**From Dusk till Dawn**

**Showdown on Shiroishi: Part 2**

**What's in a name?**

* * *

"Get that cargo off the ship! Prepare the weapons! Get me my brownie!"

Meg and Akai watched silently from behind a large bank of white rock. The island itself was filled with the stuff. All along the hill overlooking the beach the bleached white stone jutted out from under the sparse grass.

"Look at them. So smug." said Meg glaring at the pirate crew below. They were a fairly large, but a couple people stuck out the most.

"WHERE'S THAT BROWNIE?!?!" yelled the one who appeared to be the captain. He was a bizarre looking man with a red tricorn hat, long blue trench coat, large black boots, and dark circles under his eyes. The most noticeable feature, however, was his beard. The entire thing was made up of five long braids sticking off his face and curving up like hooks in five different directions.

"First there was Whitebeard. Then, there was Blackbeard." The man looked up grinning maniacally. "Now, let the world tremble before the awesome might…of Captain Multibeard! !!!!!"

"Aaah, shut up, you old poot." A girl walked up beside him, swaying her hips, and holding a white plate with a brownie on top.

"Furiko! How dare you speak to your captain like that!" The girl cocked an eyebrow and put her hand on her hip. She was wearing a red and white striped bandana over her light brown hair, and was dressed in a tight, light blue top with the sleeves ripped off, a pair of bell-bottom dark blue pants, and a pair of brown sandals. In addition to her outfit, she also had a gas mask hanging from her right along with a brown pouch.

"You want this brownie or not?"

"Yes, now give it here." The captain reached for the plate only to have it jerked away.

"Not until you say you're sorry."

"For what?!"

"For yelling."

"WHAT?!"

"See." said the female pirate. "That's exactly what I'm talking about. Just because you have a big, fancy beard doesn't mean you can yell at me whenever you want."

"I'm the captain, you nitwit! I can yell at you whenever I want! I can yell at you! I can yell at the crew! I can…FURIKO!!!" Multibeard stared in shock as he watched the girl take a bite of his brownie.

"Mmmm, delicious." said Furiko with brownie in her mouth. "I think it's the best brownie I've eeeeever tasted."

"W-wait Furiko! Don't do it!" Furiko started to raise the brownie to her mouth.

"What do we say?" said the girl as the brownie got ever closer to her mouth. The captain quickly got on got on his knees and prostrated himself before the girl.

"Forgive me, Furiko-sama!"

"That's better." Furiko quickly tossed the delicious dessert to the groveling captain, who quickly shoved it in his mouth.

"SOOOOO GOOOOOOOOOOD!!!" He slowly savored the morsel as tears ran down his face.

"Now, whose the toughest girl in all the North Blue?"

"You are Furiko." said the captain still happy.

"That's right."

"Furiko." The girl turned her head to see another member of the crew walking towards her. He wore a blue bowler hat, a pair of blue suspenders, and had a red organ grinder over his stomach held up by a strap that went around his neck.

"Yeeees?"

"You shouldn't make the captain act that way." said the man in an extremely level tone.

"Ah, chill out! It's not like I'm doing anything wrong, Sam Sam."

"It's Samual, Furiko."

"Samual, Sam Sam, same difference." The girl leisurely put her hands behind her head and started walking behind the bowler topped man. "You know, you'd be a lot more attractive if you'd just loosen up a bit."

"I assure you, Furiko, I am not trying to be attractive."

"Well, you're doing a great job so far."

"…"

"Enough bickering you two!" Multibeard stood up striking a noble pose and smiling.

"What'd I just say about yelling!"

"Sorry." muttered Multibeard before going back to his confident pose. "Boys!"

"Hey!"

"And Furiko. It's time to begin the invasion!"

"AYE!!!" yelled the crew in unison.

Upon the hill Meg narrowed her eyes at the crew.

"So I was right. They are here to attack us."

"Yep, looks like it." Meg and Akai turned their heads to see a certain metal armed girl crouching right behind them.

"JACKLYN?!?!" yelled Meg.

"What was that?" asked Furiko looking up towards the hill.

"Eh? Probably just a bird." said Multibeard. Meg sweated profusely as the three of them sat ducked behind the rock bank. She thought quickly before putting her hands around her mouth.

"JackLyn! JackLyn!" she called trying her best to sound like a bird.

"See." said the bizarre captain. "A bird. Just like I said."

"That's one weird sounding bird." said Furiko. "You!" She quickly pointed to one of the lesser crew members.

"Me?!"

"Yah, you. Go check it out."

"Yes, Ma'am." The crew member started rapidly climbing up the hill with gun in hand.

"Great!" said Meg in a loud whisper as she watched the man coming up the hill. "Look what you've done!"

"Me!" whispered Jacklyn back. "You were the one who yelled!"

"Well, you were the one who snuck up on me!"

"Well…You shouldn't be so easily startled!"

Meg was about to say something when she heard a shot and a cry. She turned her head to see Akai kneeling with his gun over a rock, and the man that had previously been walking up the hill falling down it.

"Jimmy!" yelled Multibeard, his eyes practically popping out of his head.

"And I suppose that was just a bird too!" said Furiko, sneering.

"AKAI! WHAT DID YOU JUST DO?!" yelled Meg as she roughly shook Akai back and forth, though Akai's face showed no sign of acknowledging this action.

"Well, that was interesting." said Jacklyn leaning against a rock.

"You don't get to talk!" yelled Meg pointing.

"Awww, why not?"

"Because it's all your fault!"

"It's my fault that Akai just shot some random guy?"

"Yes, it…" Meg was cut off as a purple ball landed in their midst. Everyone stared.

"Well, that can't be good."

* * *

_BOOOOOOOOM!!!_

"Got 'em!" yelled Furiko holding a bazooka that basically looked like a big metal pipe with a handle and trigger. She smiled as she watched the purple smoke coming from where she had sent the bomb.

"Nice shot, Furiko!" said Multibeard enthusiastically. Samual kept quiet.

"Come on Sam Sam." said Furiko nudging the fellow pirate. "You know I did a good job."

"I know nothing of the sort." Furiko puffed out her cheeks before turning away from him.

"Fine. Be that way. I'm gonna go check and see if the poor suckers are still alive." She quickly took the gas mask from her hip, and placed it on her face before picking up a long metal pipe and a short pipe with the same handle and trigger mechanism as the bazooka.

"Just don't take too long." said Samual.

"Quiet ya old poot!"

"And she says that I yell too much." said Multibeard quietly to Samual.

"I heard that!"

"Shoot."

* * *

_*cough cough cough*_

Jacklyn, Akai, and Meg all coughed vigorously as they ran into the forest atop the hill, and away from the purple smoke.

"*cough cough cough* What was that?!" yelled Jacklyn.

"*cough cough* How am I supposed to know?!" yelled Meg right back.

"*cough cough*" Jacklyn tapped a talon on her cheek thoughtfully. "Good point."

"Well, looks like you survived after all." Everyone turned their heads to stare at a slim figure wearing a gas mask.

"Who are you?" asked Jacklyn.

"Furiko. Fuirko Dokuro, at your service."

"Well, now that that's out of the way," said Meg glaring. "What are you doing on our island?!"

"What do ya think, ya old poot?!" yelled Furiko. "We're here because we want to pillage your island!"

"Why?" asked Jacklyn cocking her head to the side.

"We're pirates, ya old poot! It's what we do!"

"That's not a very good reason."

"Just shut up and die, ya old poot!" yelled Furiko as she loaded a purple ball from the pouch at her side into the short metal pipe gun. "Doku Shotto!" Furiko pulled the trigger, causing a large cloud of purple smoke to erupt from the end, and head straight towards the trio.

"Get down!" yelled Meg. The three quickly dived out of the way as the cloud collided with the tree behind where they had previously been. The three of them watched as the tree slowly started to wither.

"Oh, so that's how it's gonna be." said Jacklyn smiling as she started to reach for the orange ball and chain on her hip.

"Wait!" Jacklyn stopped as Meg threw out her hand. "Just stay out of this."

"I'm trying to help you!"

"We don't need your help, pirate!"

"Hey, that's discrimination!"

"Hah! So you are a pirate!"

"Forget it." said Jacklyn somewhat annoyed. "I'm going to help whether you like it or not."

"If you wanna help, then go with Akai, and help him stop the other pirates. You know, the ones currently on their way to destroy the village!"

"…You know, that's probably a good idea."

"JUST GO!" yelled Meg as she reached for her gun.

"Fine! Okay! Whatever! Let's go." Jacklyn stood up from her previous crouching position. "Coming Akai?" Akai paused for a moment to look at Meg before standing, and heading towards the village. Meg turned back to her opponent.

"Hey!" Meg turned her head to see Jacklyn looking at her. "Don't die, okay?"

Meg let slip the very smallest of smiles. "Okay." Jacklyn smiled back before partially turning around.

"Who knows? I might want you on my crew."

"As if I'd ever join a pirate crew!" yelled Meg, shark faced. Jacklyn stuck her tongue out smiling, and made a peace sign with two of her metal talons before jogging off to catch up with Akai. Meg couldn't help but smile once more.

"Weirdo."

* * *

"_YOHOHOHO! YOHOHOHOOOO! YOHOHOHO! YOHOHOHOOOO!"_

The entirety of Multibeard's crew marched along the white stone path that lead to the village with Multibeard and Samual in the lead. The entire crew was singing in unison, all of them fully prepared for battle.

"Loader men! We want them to hear us coming so they have more time to cower in fear before us. YARHARHAR!" Multibeard was grinning cruelly as he held what looked like a giant fishing hook over his shoulder. It was almost as big as he was in height, and the polished steel of the weapon gleamed forebodingly in the bright sunlight.

"Furiko would be very upset if she heard you yelling like that." said Samual.

"Well, she's not here right now Samual, which means…" Multibeard cleared his throat. "I CAN YELL AS LOAD AS I WANT AND NO ONE HERE CAN STOP ME!!! YAAAAAAAAAAAAAR!!!"

"YAAAAAAAAAAR!!!" yelled the crew back in unison. Samual simply sighed at the commotion.

"Hey, Hook Face!"

Multibeard started looking around for the source of the insult. "Who said that?! Show yourself!"

"Uh, we're right in front of you." Multibeard swung his body around towards the voice.

"So, it was _you_ who insulted my magnificent beard!"

"Duh." Multibeard continued glared. Standing in front of him, blocking the white stone bridge that led into town, was Akai, looking sleepy, but holding his gun ready none the less, and Jacklyn, standing with her hand on her hip, and one eyebrow cocked.

"How could you not see us? Seriously, we were right in front of you." This comment only served to make Multibeard angrier.

"Get 'em, boys!"

"Aye!" Almost as one every one of the crew members raised their weapons, consisting mainly of sword, spears, and, of course, lots of guns.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the forest, Meg and Furiko were both attempting to stare the other down.

"You gonna make a move or what?" asked Meg, glaring.

"Ugly girls first." said Furiko sneering beneath her mask.

"You are you calling ugly?!"

"Hah!" Furiko took the moment of distraction to aim her pipe gun at the blonde cook. "Doku Shotto!" Another cloud of purple gas erupted from the end of the pipe. Meg dodged out of the way as the shot hit another tree.

"Is that your only trick?" asked Meg using her arm to cover her mouth.

"No, but it works." Furiko loaded three purple balls into the gun.

"Crud!" Meg quickly started running as Furiko took aim.

"Doku Shotto! Doku Shotto! Doku Shotto!" Three trees started to wither as Meg attempted to circle around the brunette girl.

"Oh, no you don't!" yelled Furiko once again taking aim after reloading. "Doku Shotto!" Another cloud erupted from the gun, this time hitting in front of Meg. The cook barely had time to backpedal before almost running into the toxic cloud. She quickly dove behind a tree coughing.

"*cough cough* You know, for someone who calls everyone an old poot, you're the one who seems to be producing the most gas."

"Oh, please." said Furiko loading another ball into the gun. "As if I haven't heard that before."

"Someone's actually said that before."

"You'd be surprised." Furiko fired the gun at the tree Meg had been hiding behind. The gas quickly started to spread throughout the area, nearly suffocating Meg. She started stumbling away from the scene, going as fast as she could to get away.

"It won't work, ya old poot!" said Furiko as she loaded more balls into her gun. Meg hid behind another tree, and turned around to fire a shot with her pistol. She closed one eye as she took aim, and almost had the shot when her vision started blurring.

"*cough cough* What is this?! *cough cough*"

"Take a look around, ya old poot." Meg opened her eyes looked back towards where she had come from. The entire area was now enveloped in a thick purple mist that obscured anything too deep in with a lighter mist defusing throughout the area around it, including to where she was hiding.

"You little witch!" yelled Meg.

"That's right." said Furiko, a sinister sneer in her voice. "Just avoiding my shots isn't enough to survive. The initial burst of gas is powerful, but the mist that follows is just as deadly." Furiko took the liberty to fire another shot into an area not too far away from where Meg was hiding.

Meg gritted her teeth before turning to try and fire at the girl again, but her vision was still bluring, and that fact that all she could really see of Furiko was a silhouette in the gas didn't help much either.

"_Oh, whatever!"_ Meg started randomly firing off shots into the mist. She smiled as she saw Furiko's shadow disappear behind a tree.

"So, I'm not the only one who likes to play with guns!" yelled Furiko from her hiding spot.

"No, you're not!" yelled Meg. "But you are the only one who produces enough gas to make ten fat men jealous!"

"Ah, quiet ya old poot!"

"Oh, that's not getting old." said Meg rolling her eyes. She covered her mouth with her fist as she coughed a couple more times. "Why don't you come out of that mist, and fight me like a real woman?!"

"Why don't you come into this mist, and fight me like a real bimbo?!"

"Who are you calling a bimbo?!"

Furiko snickered before clicking her tongue disapprovingly. "Touchy."

Meg glared before smiling. She quickly tore a piece of her shirt off, and wrapped it around her mouth.

* * *

"Well, that's inconvenient." stated Jacklyn as she stared at the group currently training their guns on her and her partner. Akai was too busy nodding off to notice.

"This'll teach you to make fun of the Multibeard Pirates!" yelled the captain.

"So, I'm going to guess that we can't come to a reasonable agreement, right?"

"No chance!"

Jacklyn sighed before smiling. "Well, then, I guess it's time to break out my secret weapon." The crew watched curiously as the metal armed girl took the orange ball and chain off her hip. The ball itself was a perfect sphere, roughly the size of a human head, with a bored looking face on it made of two horizontal lines for eyes and a dot for a mouth. It was connected to the extremely long chain by a triangular handle on the top.

"YARHARHARHAR!" Multibeard started laughing and the rest of the crew, minus Samual, decided to join in. "You actually expect to beat this entire crew with that."

"What's wrong with it?" asked Jacklyn, a little hurt that her creation was being mocked.

"It's puny!" he said as the rest of the crew continued laughing. "Now, this is a weapon." He grinned as he hefted the giant hook off his shoulder, taking a sumo like pose as he did so.

"So, you don't like it because it's not big enough?"

"That's right, little girl." said the cruel captain mockingly.

Jacklyn shrugged before taking hold of the handle on top of the ball. She twisted it once to the left, once to the right, and then slowly back to the left again. Suddenly there was an audible click before the ball burst outward tripling in size with the bored expression transforming into the grinning face of a jack-o-lantern.

"How about now?"Almost everyone's, except Samual's, jaws dropped at the sight.

"WHAT IS THAT THING?!" yelled Multibeard.

Jacklyn smiled brightly. "It's one of my greatest inventions! I call it…The Smashy Hitty Boom Boom Orange Ball of Doom Doom."

The was a long moment of silence.

"No, seriously. What's it called?"

"That is what it's called." said Jacklyn earnestly.

Another moment of silence.

"THAT IS THE WORST NAME FOR A WEAPON I'VE EVER HEARD!!!" yelled Multibeard in fury.

"SO I'M NOT GOOD AT NAMING THINGS!! BIG DEAL!!" yelled Jacklyn right back. She glared angrily at the captain. "Can we just get on with this?"

"No."

"What?" Jacklyn looked at the crew confusedly as they all took seats on the ground, crossing their arms.

"We refuse to fight you until you come up with a better name for that weapon."

"…You have got to be kidding me."

* * *

"Come out, come out wherever you are…ya old poot."

Meg was getting seriously tired of hearing that. She had been hiding behind a tree at the edge of the mist just waiting for the gas spewing witch to get close enough. She put her hand to her mouth to muffle a brief cough. The cloth strip had helped, but she knew she couldn't stay here too much longer.

"Now, where are you?" Meg briefly looked around the side of the tree to see the brunette girl walking from the mist, her gun in one hand, and a long metal pipe in the other.

"_Now's my chance!"_ thought Meg. She quickly dove around the tree into a kneeling position in front of Furiko with her gun pointed.

"Take this witch!" yelled Meg.

"Not a chance." suddenly Furiko jumped back swinging the long pipe in front of her. Meg's eyes widened as a thick cloud of purple smoke erupted from the end.

"Oh, crud!" yelled Meg as she was suddenly enveloped inside the cloud. She immediately started chocking as the gas seeped right through her improve mask.

* * *

"How about the The Orange Doomy Ball?"

"No."

"Crushy Smasher Smash?"

"Nope."

"The Breaky Hurty Weapon Jigger?"

"Now that's just sad."

Jacklyn stood exasperated as she tried to come up with a name that would satisfy the stubborn crew.

"Come on! Give me a break!"

"Isn't there something you're good at naming?" asked Multibeard. "You're a pirate for Pete's sake!"

"Oh!" said Jacklyn suddenly. "My mom says I'm good at coming up with attack names."

"Your mother?" asked Samual cocking an eyebrow.

"You got a problem with that?" asked Jacklyn glaring with her hand on her hip. Multibeard decided to intervene.

"So, let's assume your mom is right." said Multibeard sagely. "If you can name attacks, then why can't you name weapons?"

Jacklyn bit her lip. "It's different okay! Attack names can be changed like that." Jacklyn snapped her fingers. "Items aren't the same. Once you name an item it sticks."

"You've got to at least have one good item name in there!"

"I…"

"Jack-o-mori." Everyone present turned their eyes to the source of the voice.

"Excuse me?" said Jacklyn.

" Jack-o-mori." repeated Akai. There was a moment of silence before Jacklyn turned her head back to Multibeard.

"Will that work?"

Multibeard put his chin between his thumb and forefinger. "Well, it's not the best name in the world, but I guess it'll suffice for now."

"So can we get on with this already?" A bullet struck the bridge behind her.

Multibeard smiled. "Does that answer your question?"

* * *

**Ah, smell that? That's the new car smell of the story's first official battle. ^^**

**Hey everyone! Hope you liked the chapter. Just as a note I do not own One Piece, and if I did…Actually I'm not sure what I'd do! XD Anyway, I hope everyone who reads this has a super happy day, and, wait for it…**

**A HYPER HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! XDDD **

**(P.S. Thanks to all those who submitted characters. Please continue sending them. Villains, side characters, crew members, and any other kind of characters you can think of are needed. Thank you. ^^)**


	4. Showdown in Shiroishi Part 3

**From Dusk till Dawn**

**Showdown on Shiroishi: Part 3**

**Hook, Line, and Sinker **

* * *

There was absolute silence as the two parties stared each other down. On one side, Jacklyn and Akai. On the other, the Multibeard pirates, with their viciously grinning leader up front.

"Are you ready, little girl?" asked Multibeard grinning even wider.

"Bring it on." said Jacklyn smiling. The two continued staring at each other both preparing to attack.

"YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAR!!!" yelled Multibeard as he raised his giant hook high into the hair.

"YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAR!!!" cried Jacklyn as she swung her right arm backwards preparing to sling the Jack-o-mori at the opposing side.

_Bang._

Both sides froze at the sound. Without warning one of the Multibeard pirates dropped.

Silence.

Both captains slowly turned their heads to see where the shot had come from, and both of their eyes fell upon…Akai. Almost every single eye was on the sleepy male holding the smoking rifle, who seemed completely oblivious to attention as he started nodding off while holding the gun. There was another long moment of silence before…

"AKAI!! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!!!" yelled Jacklyn.

"JIMMY!! NOOOOOOO!!!" yelled Multibeard just as loudly.

"Isn't that the second time he's been shot?" asked Samual calmly as the entire crew started freaking out over their injured crew mate. He was quickly rushed off on a makeshift stretcher by two of his fellow crew members.

"I'm okay captain! Really! It's just a flesh wound!" yelled the injured boy as he was being carried off. Multibeard took off his tricorn and placed it over his heart, with the rest of the crew, save Samual, following suit.

"There goes one brave man." A single tear slide down Multibeard's check before he turned angrily on Jacklyn and Akai. "RETURN FIRE MEN!! FOR JIMMY!!!"

"FOR JIMMY!!!" Almost as one every crew member with a gun turned it on Jacklyn, who was currently trying to throttle Akai, and Akai, who was being throttled while somehow still managing to stay asleep. Jacklyn suddenly froze and turned to stare at the numerous gun barrels currently pointed her way.

"Oh, crud."

* * *

"_*cough cough cough cough*" _Meg dropped to the ground as the thick cloud of poison surrounding her started to take effect.

"Ahahahahahahahaha!" Furiko slowly started walking towards the fallen cook, swinging her hips the entire way. "Didn't know I could do that, did you, ya old poot."

"*cough cough* H-how?" asked Meg weekly, trying to cover her mouth as best she could. Furiko grinned beneath the mask before putting the end of the long pipe in front of Meg's face. At first all Meg saw was the empty end of the pipe, but as the gas started to diffuse she started to see something else. "What is that?"

"My Pop Net." said Furiko, and indeed, right inside the end of the pipe, was a pair of crossed black wires with needles facing inward. "Ya see, my poison balls normally burst when they impact with something at a high enough speed, but I noticed that it would probably be kind of hard to shoot someone if they actually got close. That's when I made this thing." she said indicating the pipe. "All I need to do is put one of my balls in, and swing hard enough, and presto! Needles plus force of swing equals one close range poison cloud. Pretty smart, huh, ya old poot?"

"*cough cough* I asked what it was." said Meg weakly. "Not for your life story."

"Well, I figured you'd wanna know." said Furiko smirking. "Before I finish you off that is." Furiko quickly pointed the pipe gun point blank at Meg's face.

"_Gotta think fast."_ Thought Meg as Furiko prepare to pull the trigger.

"Say good bye, ya old poot!" Right before she could pull the trigger, Meg quickly rolled out of the way causing the cloud to smash directly into the ground, successfully killing all grass within a ten foot diameter. Furiko quickly started looking around, trying to see through the incredibly thick fog currently surrounding her. "So, I see ya still had some moves left in ya, huh?! Don't think you can get away that easily!!!"

Meg was in absolutely no condition to reply as she continued rolling away hoping desperately that she didn't hit a tree. She managed to get about twelve feet before that happened, but that was far enough for Meg to stand up and start stumbling away as fast as her weakened body could take her.

It was about a minute of solid stumbling before she finally got completely clear of the cloud. She started taking deep breathes of clean air as her vision started to somewhat clear. Unfortunately it was still almost impossible to focus.

"_Stupid gas bag." _thought Meg as she continued taking in good air, and coughing out what she hopped was the bad. _"I've gotta figure out some way to take her down without choking to death in the process." _Meg looked back into the distant epicenter of the fog to see what she thought was Furiko's silhouette still looking for her. Meg sneered. _"You know, I bet she wouldn't be nearly as tough without that…"_ Meg froze mid thought as she was hit by an enormous bolt of inspiration.

"Oh, that's good." said Meg smiling. "That's real good, but how…" the blonde cook trailed off as she started looking around the scene behind her. A mischievous look began to play across her face as her eyes slowly drifted upwards.

* * *

Jacklyn and Akai jumped down on either side of the bridge leading into town as a hail of bullets flew over their head.

"Ya just haaaaad to shoot Jimmy, didn't you?" asked Jacklyn as she and Akai pressed themselves against the grassy banks leading down into the river. It wasn't a very large river, but the banks were steep enough to make the bridge necessary. Akai simply stared at her sleepily as she continued to glare.

Jacklyn sighed. "I don't suppose you have any way to get us out of this?"

Silence.

Jacklyn ran her fingers through her hair with a frustrated look on her face before sighing. "Well, we can't stay here forever." Jacklyn looked at Jack-o-mori before looking towards Akai.

"Akai, can I borrow your gun?"

* * *

"KEEP AT 'EM, BOYS!!" yelled Multibeard grinning.

"AYE!!"

"You realize of course that this isn't really getting us anywhere, right?" asked Samual.

"Ah, stop your negativity, Samual. Look at how much fun the crew's havin'! Isn't that right, boys?!"

"AYE!" Multibeard laughed in triumph.

"Shotgun Baton!" Multibeard stopped smiling as something flew up from under the bridge spinning high into the air.

"What is that?!" yelled one of the crew members as the object got directly in front of the sun. Everyone covered their eyes as they all tried to make out the object.

"Made ya look!" Everyone quickly lowered their eyes towards the bridge.

"Kishu Nage!" Immediately a row of pirates directly beside Multibeard were mowed down by an orange blur.

"WHAT IN THE NAME OF BROWNIES?!" Multibeard turned his eyes on the smiling Jacklyn as she pulled backwards on her chain. His eyes widened before he dove out of the way as the head of Jack-o-mori flew by right where he had just been.

The ball bounced slightly, cracking stone, as it came back towards its owner before finally rolling to a stop at her side. "So, still think it needs a cool name to be powerful?" she asked smiling.

"LUCKY SHOT!" yelled Multibeard.

Jacklyn cocked an eyebrow before turning towards Akai. "Thanks for letting me borrow your gun." Akai made no real sign of acknowledgment as he held out his hands just in time to catch his weapon. Jacklyn smiled before turning back to the opposing captain. "So, shall we begin?"

* * *

"Doku Shotto! Doku Shotto! Doku Shotto!" Furiko smiled beneath her mask as she fired shot after shot before her as she walked calmly through the forest.

"You know, I have to admit, I'm a bit impressed!" yelled Furiko into the forest as she continued firing. "Most people wouldn't even be able to move after taking a cloud to the face, but even after that you still had enough strength to run away. Very impressive, ya old poot." Furiko fired several more shots in front of her, further increasing her toxic domain.

"_AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHH!!!"_

Furiko started frantically looking around as she tried to ascertain the source of the cry. _"Where is she?!" _she thought as she continued to look around. Her eyes widened. _"It couldn't be!!"_ Furiko's head snapped upwards just in time to see Meg coming down at her with the butt of her gun held high above her head. _"Oh, Cru…" _Furiko never got to finish that thought as the butt of the gun slammed into her upward facing face.

Furiko stumbled backwards covering her face and muttering a long stream of profanities as Meg landed hard on the ground. Furiko looked up still holding her face. "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE, YOU LITTLE…" Furiko's eyes suddenly widened as a crack formed in the eye panels on her mask. There was an audible hiss as poison air started flowing into the broken head gear.

"MY !!!!" Furiko clutched at the device frantically before breaking into a fit of coughs as the poisons started to get to her.

"What's the matter? Can't handle your own medicine?" asked Meg in a strangly muffled voice as she started to stand up. She coughed several times then immediately started running towards the edge of the fog.

Furiko glared. "Just wait till I *cough cough cough cough*" Furiko clutched at her throat before sprinting to follow. It was only a matter of second before Meg burst into clean air with Furiko following close behind. Almost immediately Furiko tore her mask off her face letting all the poison that had gotten inside loose.

"HOW DARE YOU!!" yelled the now bloody nosed girl.

Meg started to laugh a bit before breaking into a fresh fit of coughing. "*cough cough* Now who's the ugly girl?" She stood up straight. Furiko glared at seeing Meg's entire beige jacket wrapped around her face showing nothing below her eyes. The blonde cook reached back to untie the jacket from around her head.

"How did you do that, ya old poot?!" yelled Furiko angrily.

"Well, first of all, I figured out that in order to use your poison attacks you had to have your gas mask to breathe through, otherwise you'd start choking on your own attacks. It's kind of sad to have such an obvious weakness." said Meg smirking.

Furiko's face took on a mocking look. "Well, if it was so obvious, then WHY DIDN'T YOU THINK OF IT BEFORE?!" Meg sweat dropped before quickly regaining her composure.

"And secondly I also figured out that, while you gas was deadly, it was also heavy, making above your little poot clouds the perfect place to hide."

Furiko's face was a mask of rage. "You think you can beat me just because you broke my mask?! Huh, ya old Poot?!"

"Wouldn't dream of it," said Meg smiling. "ya old poot."

Furiko's eyes widened angrily. "!!!" The brunette girl screamed in murder as she charged towards Meg drawing back her long metal pipe ready to smash it into Meg's head. Meg rolled out of the way as the pipe came down before aiming her pistols, and shooting.

Furiko fell back on the ground clutching her shoulder, and gritting her teeth against the pain. She looked up angrily, wincing in pain, to glare at Meg as she stood menacingly over her.

"Well," said Furiko. "What are you waiting for? Finish me!!"

Slowly, Meg raised her gun, pointing it directly at Furiko's forehead. Furiko closed her eyes. _"So, this is how it all ends."_ she thought to herself. _"Well, at least I went out fighting." _Furiko smiled slightly as she heard Meg's finger start to tighten around trigger.

Meg hesitated as she held the gun pointed at Furiko. What was she doing?! She loathed pirates. Pirates destroyed. Pirates killed. They were the bane of existence! So, why couldn't she bring herself to kill this one? Sweat broke out on her forehead. Her hand started shaking.

A moment passed. Two moments. Three. _"What, did she fall asleep or somethin'?" _thought Furiko as she started to get agitated. _"I coulda packed my bags and been off to the afterlife by now!"_

"Are you gonna shoot me or not, cause I'm pretty sure I got an appointment with my grandma in Heaven. At least I hope I'm goin' to Heaven, cause I hear the other place is a real drag."

"Just shut up!" yelled Meg pressing the gun against the brunette's forehead. Furiko flinched at the touch of the metal, and closed her eyes tighter waiting for the shot.

"_Why can't I do this?!" _thought Meg. She started thinking about those pirates that had attacked the town. Those horrible, blood-thirsty monsters. The same ones who had burned her restaurant, _her dream_, to the ground. And then she started thinking of that girl. That stupid, smiling, freak of a girl. The one who looked like everything a pirate should look like, complete with eye patch and fake limb.

She looked down at Furiko, who was waiting tensely for the final shot. Sure she had been annoying, even tried to kill her, but she wasn't a monster. Meg could tell she was far from the blood-thirsty killers that had attacked before.

The blonde cook lowered her gun, sighing. "I can't do it."

Furiko opened her eyes. "W-what do you mean you can't do it? Finish me!!"

"I can't, okay!" yelled Meg back. "I-I just can't."

"Why not?" said Furiko angrily. "I'm a pirate. You loathe pirates! I heard you say so in the woods."

"Ya, but…" Meg put her hand to her forehead in frustration.

"But what?!"

"You're…not the right kind of pirate."

"What do you mean I'm not the right kind of I pirate?! What, do I need to make someone walk of a stickin plank?! I swear, if it's because I'm a girl, I'll…"

"It's not because you're a girl." interrupted Meg. "It's just…you're too nice."

"NICE?! I just tried to stinkin' kill you, ya old poot!!"

"Ya, but," began Meg. "You're not a monster. I don't know, but…it just doesn't feel right."

"What doesn't feel right?"

"This! This whole situation. I mean, me pointing a gun at your head, and you, sitting there, helpless."

"Don't you _dare_ call me helpless!" yelled Furiko.

"Sorry, sorry." said Meg quickly before sighing. "Look, you said you wanted to see your grandma, right?"

"Yeeaaah…" said Furiko slowly.

"Well, how about instead of me killing you, you live, work on actually getting to Heaven, and that way, when you die, you'll have a better shot at seeing her?" Furiko stared at her blankly. "UUUGH!! I don't have time for this! I've gotta go help Akai and that pirate girl save _my_ town from _your_ crew! Just…sit tight, okay?"

"Sit tight! You expect me to sit tight?! How do you…" Furiko never got to finish that sentence as Meg hit her on the head with her gun. Furiko fell over backwards, eyes closing in the process.

"Sorry." said the cook quickly before jogging of in the direction of town. Unbeknownst to her, Furiko was watching, though her vision was already starting to blur.

Furiko smiled. _"Ya old poot."_ Her eyes closed as she drifted into unconsciousness.

* * *

"Kishu Shitatenage!"

"Run!" a large group of pirate tried to scrambled out of the way as the Jack-o-mori came sailing down at them. Unfortunately several did not escape as it crashed hard into the ground.

Jaclyn pulled back on the chain bringing the head of the weapon back to her before rapidly spinning it beside her.

"So who's next?" she asked smiling.

Meanwhile Akai wasn't having much difficulty as he periodically shot down pirate after pirate.

"It's one man boys!" yelled one of them. A small group of them charged, screaming all the way with swords drawn. Akai started at them sleepily. He managed to shoot two of them before they actually got to him, but the other four were upon him in seconds.

"Attack!!" The man who had yelled raised his sword high above his head, smiling in presumed victory. He presumed wrong.

Akai grabbed his head with one hand before diving out of the way of the others. He slammed the pirates head into the ground before he landed, using it as a springboard to complete a one handed flip. The tall male landed in crouching position holding his gun before jumping back at the other pirates. He swung back with his shotgun before swinging it in a wide arch right into the heads of the remaining opponents. They didn't even have a chance to cry out as they were swung sideward, falling hard onto the stone, most unconscious with the ones that were actually awake in extreme pain.

Jacklyn grabbed the handle on top of the Jack-o-mori, before reeling back and stick one leg high in the air. "Kishu Kaabu!" Jacklyn pitched the ball to the far right of the crew.

"HA!" yelled Multibeard triumphantly. "What was that?!" The crew snickered at the extremely off course shot. Jacklyn smiled as the ball started curving back to the left directly at the crew. While the crew was laughing, Multibeard was the only one who noticed the incoming projectile. He quickly dropped to the ground as the ball mowed down a sizeable chunk of the pirates that had been gathered around him.

Jacklyn pulled back on the chain, bringing the ball back to her as she once again began spinning it. "It's a curve ball, moron!"

Multibeard ground his teeth as he got up holding the end of his giant hook. "THAT'S IT!! Prepare to endure the mighty wrath of Captain Multibeard!!"

"*cough cough* Hook face. *cough cough*."

"I HEARD THAT!!"

"Heard what?" asked Jacklyn feigning innocence.

"You called me hook face!"

"No I didn't."

"Yes, you did!"

"AchooooHook Face."

"You did it again!"

"Did what?"

"Called me Hook face."

"That is a total lie!"

"Oh, really?"

"No."

"So, you admit it!!"

"I admit to nothing!!"

"ENOUGH!!" yelled Multibeard even angrier than before. Multibeard started running at Jacklyn with his hook in a lower right position. "Right Hook!" Jacklyn jumped backwards as Multibeard swung the hook diagonally upwards. "Left Hook!" Multibeard lowered the hook on his left side before slashing it upwards in the opposite direction as Jacklyn was forced to jump backwards a second time.

"One, Two Hook!" The bizarre captain suddenly span around and slammed the butt of the hook directly at Jacklyn's stomach. There was an audible clang as Jacklyn doubled over.

"Hey! Watch the stomach!" she yelled angrily as she started looking herself over to make sure there was no damage to the area.

"Afraid it'll bruise?" asked Multibeard mockingly.

Jacklyn glared before pulling on her chain, and spinning the Jack-o-mori. "Kishu Nage!" Jacklyn hurled the ball at Multibeard, who quickly dived out of the way.

"HA! You missed!" he yelled triumphantly. Jacklyn pulled back on the chain, and Multibeard once more jumped to the side. "You missed again!"

Jacklyn glared before spinning in a circle, and sending the ball around in a wide arch. "Kishu Kosen!" Before he could dodge the large ball smashed into Multibeard sending him sprawling and skidding across the ground for some distance before smashing painfully into a white boulder off the side of the road.

"Okay." said Multibeard in pain. "That hit."

Meanwhile Akai was having very little trouble taking his share of pirates. He ran quickly into a large group of them, and immediately set to work. He quickly grabbed the head of the first pirate he saw, and quickly use him to bat away two others.

"Get him!" Two of the pirates ran at him with swords drawn only to be met in the face with the butt of a shotgun.

"Stand aside." Immediately all the pirates surrounding Akai looked backwards to see Samual staring coldly at the group, though Akai continued to beat them senseless while they were distracted. "You have five seconds."

"Run!" The pirates quickly scattered leaving Akai sleepily staring at the bowler toped male. Samual slowly reached for the handle on the organ grinder hanging around his neck, and started turning. Round and round the handle went, slowly at first, but steadily getting faster. The front panel popped open, and fell forward on a hinge as a large Gatling gun emerged from the box.

Akai's eye widened about a centimeter before he started running. The gun began firing, releasing round after round of bullets.

"DON'T HEAD THIS WAY!!" A group of pirates looked on in fear as Akai started running towards them. "Into the river!" The entire group jumped into the river under the bridge just as Akai ran by with the rain of bullets hot on his heels.

"THAT'S IT!!" Multibeard sat up angrily, and pushed himself of the rock. "You are going down, right now!"

"Yeah, I don't see that happening." said Jacklyn with a hand on her hip. "But how about we make a deal? You leave this island and never come back, and we avoid all the unpleasantness of me kicking the crud out of you, deal?" Jacklyn ducked as a bullet soared over her head. "I'll take that as a no."

Multibeard ran at the metal armed girl. "Hook and Jab!" Multibeard thrust his hook forward. Jacklyn ducked under it as it went over her head. Multibeard smiled. Just as Jacklyn stood back up Multibeard pulled back with the hook, causing the pointed end to leave a deep gash in her human arm. Jacklyn cried out in pain as she grasped the cut with her metal arm, but she didn't have much chance for rest as the inside of the hook grabbed her. Multibeard twisted to the side, pulling Jacklyn forward, as he started to swing the weapon.

* * *

Meg was breathing hard as she ran towards the village.

"_Please let me not be too late. Please let me not be too late." _

"_Stage Hook Hurler!" _

Meg turned her head at hearing the voice. _"Don't tell me…"_ Meg ran to her left over the crest of a large hill just in time to see Jacklyn being slung hard into a large white boulder, creating a large cloud of white dust upon impact. _"NO!"_

Akai kept running as the bullets followed. Samual just kept staring neutral as he waited for the tall male to slip up. He didn't have to wait long. Akai fell hard to the ground as one of the bullets lodged itself in his leg.

"AKAI!!" screamed Meg. She quickly started running down the hill towards her injured friend.

Samual temporarily ceased firing as he watch the wounded boy attempt to stand up, though the wound in his leg prevented him from actually staying up.

"Looks like you lose." said Samual calmly. Akai fired a shot from his gun at Samual, but Samual simply moved his head to the side, dodging the bullet.

"Is that the best you've got?" he asked, still using the same ultra calm tone. Akai once again fell to the ground after trying to get up. He sighed.

Samual cocked an eyebrow as the lanky boy took something out of his pocket. Akai tossed the item to Samual who caught it easily.

"What is this?" asked Samual as he stared at the item. It basically looked like an apple with a weird white string sticking out where the stem should be.

"You realize that bribing me won't work." Samual held out the apple to emphasize his point. A bullet suddenly flew by directly over the apple. The bowler topped man quickly turned his head to see where it had come from.

"Leave him alone!" yelled Meg standing a good distance away.

"Do you really think you can beat me with aim like that?" asked Samual as he raised an eyebrow. Meg just smirked which caused Samual to raise his eyebrow even further. He turned his head as he heard a strange hissing sound. He started looking around before his eyes fell upon the apple he was holding. An apple with a now lit fuse.

"Oh." Samual had barely finished the syllable before the fuse ran out. The apple gave off a bright white light before exploding.

Multibeard glared angrily at seeing the explosion. "SAMAUL!"

"*cough cough*"

Multibeard's head quickly snapped back towards the boulder that he had just sent Jacklyn flying into.

"*cough cough*" The dust slowly cleared to reveal Jacklyn imbedded into the rock. _"Okay. That was definitely not pleasant."_

"Get up, ya bilge rat!" yelled Multibeard wielding his hook. Jacklyn ignored him for a second as she waited for the pain in her head to subside. After a moment she slowly pried herself of the boulder, wincing as she clutched the wound in her left arm.

"I'll make you pay for doing this to my crew!" yelled Multibeard angrily.

"Well, what do you expect?" asked Jacklyn as she proded her wound, wincing. "You just tried to destroy an entire town full of innocent people."

"So?"

"So? That's bad. Innocent lives could have been lost."

"YARHARHARHARHARHARHARHAR!! Do you actually think I care about 'innocent lives'?" asked Multibeard.

"Uh, yah, kinda."

"Well, you're wrong! I'm a pirate, ya nitwit! All I care about is two things: Me and how to get the things I want for me."

"I don't understand."

"This is a harsh world we live in, little girl. The only way to survive is to look out for yourself and no one else. That's the pirate way."

Jacklyn looked down darkly. "I see. So that's what you think it means to be a pirate?"

"That's not what I think it means." said Multibeard grinning to himself. "That's what I know it means."

"I see." Jacklyn continued staring at the ground as shadows covered her eyes.

All the while Meg and Akai had been watching from the sidelines. Meg stared at the girl in pity.

"_At least now she knows the truth." _thought Meg. _"It's better she finds out now than later."_

"So, what now, little girl?" said Multibeard. "Still gonna defend this town? A true pirate would help me take this town, not try and save it." Jacklyn continued looking down in silence. "How about you join me in bringing this place to its knees, and I might forgive you for what you've done to my crew." Multibeard chuckled to himself. "If you're real good, I might even let you join…"

"You're wrong." said Jacklyn quietly.

"Eh?"

"I said you're wrong." Jacklyn looked up with anger in her eyes. "Looking out for yourself is not what it means to be a pirate."

"What are you babblin' on about?" asked Multibeard sneering.

"Being a pirate is about freedom. It's about adventure. It's about giving it all you've got for your dreams. If you can't see that, then you're an even greater fool than I thought!"

Meg's eyes widened at hearing these words. _"Jacklyn…"_

Multibeard smirked. "Wake up and smell the sea breeze, nitwit. You won't last a day as a pirate if you don't start lookin' out for the old number…"

"Just shut up!" Jacklyn glared intensified in its sheer animosity. "I'm tired of sitting here and listening to your drabble. Now are you gonna leave, or am I gonna have to make you leave!?"

"How about none of the above?" said Multibeard. He charged. Jacklyn pulled sharply on her chain, reeling the head of the Jack-o-mori to her, before she started rapidly spinning the ball.

Multibeard raised his hook high above his head. "Jizaikagi!" Multibeard jumped into the air in front of Jacklyn, legs straddling the sky, fully ready to jam his hook right into Jacklyn's skull.

Meg's eyes widened. "Jacklyn!"

Jacklyn span the ball even faster as he came down towards her.

"Your finished!" yelled Multibeard grinning triumphantly.

"Kishu Wa!"

Multibeard's smile disappeared like smoke, replaced by a look of stunned shock.

Meg's eyes widened drastically in surprise.

Akai just kind of fell asleep.

The world seemed to slow to a stop as Multibeard, still up in the air, was met with a very large and heavy metallic ball right in between the legs.

Jacklyn's eyes widened slightly. _"Oops."_

As times sped back up Multibeard stunned expression rapidly changed to a look of sheer and excruciating pain.

"….." His cry echoed out through the skies as the momentum of the ball sent him flying high into the air, far far away. All three people present stared after him until he was no longer in sight.

"Nice shot." commented Meg as she and Jacklyn stared into the sky waiting to see if he was going to come down. A distant cry followed by a large cloud of white dust from a distant part of the island answered their question.

Jacklyn quickly turned around to face Meg and Akai. "Okay, before anyone say _anything_, that was sooooooo not where I was aiming." Meg cocked an eyebrow.

Jacklyn blink for a moment before finally registering something. "Oh, hi Meg! When did you get here?"

"I've been here." said Meg slightly annoyed at not having been noticed.

"Oh. Well, anyway, I'm hungry. I haven't actually eaten anything since I got here."

"You do realize that your arm is bleeding, right?"

Jacklyn looked down at her arm. "Yeah, I should probably that checked out."

Meg couldn't help but chuckle to herself at the bizarre girl. "Come on." Meg jestured towards the town, and started walking towards it with Akai leaning on her shoulder.

"Hey, wait up!" Jacklyn quickly pulled on the chain of the Jack-o-mori, reeling back in the head. She grabbed the handle on top, and started twisting it in a rapid pattern before it shrunk back to its original size.

"Wait for me!"

* * *

**There you have it people! The first battle of the story is complete. ^^**

**I'm not sure how well I did considering it's my first time ever doing a fic like this, so if anyone has any advice on how I can make the story better, how I can improve my writing style, or any other commentary, please do not hesitate to send it. I would be super, hyper, ultra appreciative to receive it. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Until next time. ^^**


	5. Departure From Shiroishi

**From Dusk till Dawn**

**Departure from Shiroishi**

**The Pirate King's Challenge**

* * *

"Ooooooooooooouuuch…"

Far away from the town, on a distant beach, Multibeard lay flat on his back, staring into the sky. His face was contorted as he gritted his teeth against the pain he was currently experiencing in his lower extremities.

"Hey! Captain!"

Multibeard tilted his head up slightly to see the source of the voice.

"Ya gonna lay there all day, ya old poot?"

Multibear plopped his head back on the ground.

"Just leave me Furiko. Let me wallow."

Furiko walked across the sand, her arm bandaged with some torn cloth, with an unconscious Samual slung over her good shoulder.

"No wallowing, ya old poot. Ya go no excuse."

"I JUST GOT NAILED IN MY PRIVATE QUARTERS BY A GIANT FLAIL!!!"

"Technically it was a ball and chain. Flails have the stick part."

"HOW DOES THAT MATTER?!?!"

Fuirko narrowed her eyes before placing her free hand on her free hip, wincing as a shot of pain reminded her of her wound.

"Now what did we say about yelling?"

Multibeard once again plopped his head back on the ground. "Just go away."

Furko continued glaring for a moment before sighing. "Look here ya old poot. We all got out fair share of lumps. Ask Samual." Furiko jerked her head at the scorched figure across her shoulder. "The point is that we are not going to just lie down and give up because we lost one little battle."

"But…"

"NO EXCUSES?!?!"

Multibeard flinched at the being yelled before looking away forlorn. "Fine…"

"Good. Now let's get back to the ship." Furiko extended her injured arm to the fallen captain, who grasped it. Furiko winced as she helped Multibeard to his feet before wrapping an arm around him to keep him up right. The two pirates, plus the unconscious Samual, started walking down the beach.

"Next time I see those brats, I'm gonna make the pay!" said Multibeard as he walked bowlegged beside Furiko.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Hey, how about I make some more brownies when we get back to the ship?"

"Really?!"

"Yeah. I'll even let you lick the bowl."

"I never get to lick the bowl!"

"Well, I'm feeling generous today, so appreciate it, ya old poot!"

Multibear sniffled. "I LOVE YOU FURIKO!!!"

"WHAT'D I SAY ABOUT YELLING?!?!"

* * *

"CHEERS!!!"

Glasses clanked all throughout the tavern as the town's people celebrated the defeat of the Multibeard pirates. Jacklyn sat laughing at the drunken patrons, many of which were performing some sort of comical dance.

"On the house."

Jacklyn turned around just as Larry set a cold bottle of fruit juice on the counter.

"Thanks." said Jacklyn smiling. "I wonder how all the town's people found out about the fight."

"The battle happened around twenty feet from the town." said Meg coming out of the kitchen holding a covered plate. "Someone was bound to see it, and, in this town, if one person sees it, then it's only a matter of time before everyone knows about it."

Jacklyn put a finger to the side of her face. "Well, it makes sense, I guess." Meg laughed before setting the covered plat in front of Jacklyn.

"What's this?" asked the metal armed girl.

"A little token of my appreciation for saving the town." said Meg as she pulled of the cover. Jacklyn stared at the contents consisting of a large, perfectly cooked steak with mashed potatoes and green beans on the side. "Enjoy."

Jacklyn warily picked up a fork and started prodding the steak. "What…is it?"

"What is what?" asked Meg furrowing her brow.

"The brown thing. I recognize the potatoes and green beans, but what's the big thing in the middle?"

"You mean you've never had steak before?" asked the cook skeptically.

"What's steak?"

Meg narrowed her eyes at the eye patch wearing girl. "Is this some kind of a joke?"

"I'm lost." said Jacklyn sincerely.

Meg sighed. "A steak is a hunk of meat made from a cow."

"Wait. So this is…meat?" asked Jacklyn.

"Yeeees, something wrong with that?"

"Well, um, how should I put this…" Jacklyn put her grabbed her chin pondering. "Um, where I come from, people don't…_eat_ meat."

"Wait, are you telling me that you're a…vegetarian?"

"I guess, though I'm not certain exactly what that means."

"A vegetarian is someone who doesn't eat meat."

"Oh, then yes, I'm a vegetarian."Almost immediately Larry burst out laughing. Jacklyn stared at him for a moment. "What's so funny?"

"Sorry." said Larry whipping a tear from his eye. "It's just I've never heard of a pirate who was a vegetarian."

"Well, we don't really have much of a choice where I come from."

"Why not?" asked Meg.

"Well, on my home island we can't eat any of the animals, not that we would if we could."

"Why can't you eat them?"

"Because," said Jacklyn smiling. "They're all poisonous."

There was a long moment of silence.

"Oh, I get it." exclaimed Meg. "This is one of your jokes! Haha, very funny."

"It's not a joke." said Jacklyn.

"Okay, enough fooling around." said Meg waving her hand dismissively. "If you didn't want to eat the steak, all you had to do was say so."

"But I'm serous!" said Jacklyn, a little hurt she wasn't being taken seriously.

Meg narrowed her eyes as she tried to detect some hint of humor in the eye patch wearing girl. No luck. "How could all the animals on your island be poisonous?"

"I don't know. They just are. Poison animals are just natural on our type of island."

"Exactly what island is it that you come from?" asked Larry.

"Dusk Island." The bar immediately got quite. All the patrons had suddenly stopped talking upon hearing the name of the island. "Did I say something wrong?"

"D-D-D-Dusk Island?!" Jacklyn turned her head to see one of the patrons standing behind her, knees shaking.

"Yeah, Dusk Island. Has anyone notice that there's been a lot of repeating going on here?"

"That place is cursed!" yelled another man.

"Cursed? Wait, there goes that repeating thing again."

"Yeah, they say any ship that sails beyond its twilight veil is lost forever, doomed to face unspeakable horrors!"

Jacklyn laughed at this. "Oh, come on. I'm sure you've just heard a bunch of rumors."

"I heard that the island is filled with beasts made of shadow that lurk about the island looking for prey." said one man.

"Yeah, we got those." said Jacklyn happily. Everyone in the room gasped.

"I heard that the island is so filled with monsters that even the flowers try to eat you."

"Well, it really depends on what kind of flower you're talking about, but yeah, we've got those too." Once again everyone gasped. "Okay, you guys really need to stop gasping so much. You're going to hyperventilate."

"I heard that there's a witch on the island who sees and hears all, and will sic her evil spirits on anyone who dares to land on the cursed shores."

"First of all, she is not a witch, and secondly, they are so not evil spirits." Once again everyone gasped. "What did I just say about gasping so much?"

"So the rumors are true!" yelled the man who had spoken first.

"Come on. You guys just don't have all the details yet. I'm sure if I just explained everything to you, you'd figure out that there's nothing…"

"Wait! I remember you!" yelled one man.

"Huh?"

"Yeah, in one of the stories!"

"Wait." said Meg. "If anyone who sails beyond the twilight curtain is doomed, where are all these stories coming from?" Larry put a finger to the side of his face.

"What are you talking about?" asked Jacklyn, ignoring the conversation behind her.

"One of the stories talks about a girl who traded her arm and eye to a mad scientist in exchange for some kind of evil power."

"THAT IS A TOTAL LIE!!!" yelled Jacklyn standing up. "I never traded my arm and eye to a mad scientist." She turned her head in a dramatic fashion. "Or did I?" The town's people gasped, as the person at the piano played a dramatic cord.

"Did you?" asked Meg.

"No. I just like building a dramatic atmosphere."All the town's people, fell comically backwards.

"She's lying!" yelled the man from before. "How else do explain that arm of yours?"

"I built it. Duh?"

"So what happened to the first one?" asked another scared town's member.

"Sorry, but that's a secret." Jacklyn winked at the crowd.

"Ha! The fact that you won't tell us must mean that you're lying!"

"Shouldn't you guys be a little more grateful to the person who saved your town?" asked Meg.

"Yeah, shouldn't you?!" repeated Jacklyn. "Crud, there's that repeating thing again."

The town's people started muttering amongst themselves.

"I suppose you're right." said one of the men.

"Good. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'd like to finish having my lunch." Jacklyn turned around to the bartender. "Do you still have that box I gave you before I left?"

"Yeah, it's right here." Larry reached under the counter, and took out the metal container from before.

"What's in the box?" asked one of the town's people.

"Oh, just a horrible, giant monster created by the evil witch of Dusk Island that I traded my arm and eye to a mad scientist for and am now about to release on the town." said the metal armed girl nonchalantly.

There was a moment of silence.

"!!!!!!" everyone in the tavern immediately turned and ran for the door with screams of "MONSTER!!!" and "WE'RE DOOMED!!!" echoing through the streets.

Meg stared at the now empty bar. "Did you _have_ to scare away all our customers?"

Jacklyn giggled. "No, but it was fun." Unfortunately this comment immediately landed her a large bump on the head from Meg. "Ow."

"Great. Now I'm gonna have to explain to all of them what happened." Meg shook her head. "See what you put me through?"

"Awww, I'm sorry. Tell you what, you can have the steak from the lunch you made as an apology. How's that sound?"

Meg shrugged. "Suit yourself, but you really don't know what you're missing. I'm one of the best cooks you'll find in all the North Blue."

"Really?"

"Yep. You'd know if you actually ate some of my cooking."

"Well, fix me something I _can _eat, and then we'll see."

"Is that a challenge?" asked Meg with a glint in her eye.

"You bet." said Jacklyn smiling.

"I accept your challenge!" yelled Meg standing up.

"Great!" said Jacklyn smiling. "I can't wait to try it."

"But what about the stuff in the box?" asked Larry indicating the metal container.

"I'm sure Meg wouldn't mind if I ate a little of both, right?"

"Not at all." said Meg. "Though I warn you, once you taste my food, there's no going back."

"We'll see about that."

Meg smirked at the metal armed girl one last time before walking into the kitchen.

"Akai, stop sleeping on the stove, and get out of the kitchen!" Before either Larry or Jacklyn could figure out what was going on, a sleeping Akai was shoved head first out the pickup window in a manner that was very similar to noodle coming out of a pasta machine. He plopped hard onto the floor before curling up and going back to sleep.

Jacklyn stared. "Wow, he is some sleeper."

"Tell me about it." said Larry.

* * *

"Order up!" yelled Meg as she hit the bell on the pickup window twice.

"Finally! I'm starving. I was seriously considering just going ahead and eating my other lunch." said Jacklyn holding her exposed stomach.

"Don't you dare!" said Meg. "I worked hard on this meal, and you are going to eat it."

"And if I don't?" asked Jacklyn.

"Then I'll cook _you_ next!"

Jacklyn shied back before picking up her knife and fork. "C-Can't wait to try it. Hehe…"

Meg smiled before walking out of the kitchen, and setting a covered plate down in front of her customer. "For today's _vegetarian_ dinner, we have a new dish created by your truly. I call it…" Meg pulled of the cover to the plate. "Vegetarian lasagna-eggplant parmesan fusion!"

Jacklyn looked down at the plate. "It's…beautiful!!!" she exclaimed. Sitting before here was a large slab of vegetable lasagna only between each layer, along with the regular filling, was a hunk of battered eggplant parmesan, glistening in the light from the tavern hearth. Jacklyn put her hands together in a brief prayer before digging into the morsel before her.

"DELICIOUS!!!" She screamed, before immediately going back to the food.

"Hey! Slow down! You must savor the flavors!...I said savor them!!!"

"Mmm-mm." muttered Jacklyn with her mouth full. She slowly chewed her food, before swallowing. "Sorry. It's just so good."

"Thanks, I'm a big fan of trying out new and unusual recipes, and, since I've never really cooked for a vegetarian before I figured it was the perfect chance to try one out."

Jacklyn took another slow bite of her food, before wiping her mouth with a napkin. She gave Meg a sly look. "You say you like unusual recipes, eh?"

"What's with that look?" asked Meg warily. Jacklyn simply smiled before placing the metal canister from before on the counter.

"Out of curiosity, do you think that you could ever manage to cook something like, I don't know, THIS?!" Jacklyn quickly flipped open to metal latches on the side of the container causing the lid to pop open with a hiss. Meg's eye widened as the lid slowly opened.

"WHAT IS THAT?!" screamed Meg, taking a step back.

"A recipe from my home island." said Jacklyn smugly. "We call it Roast Kujihana!"

Meg felt slightly sick as she looked at the contents of the box. Lying inside was what looked like a giant dark green and blue slug steaming in some sort of liquid with vegetables in it.

Jacklyn took a deep whiff of the dish, before sighing in contentment. "It smells great, doesn't it?"

"I thought you said you were a vegetarian." said Meg, still keeping her distance.

"I am."

"Then are you going to eat a giant roasted slug?!"

Jacklyn stared for a moment before snickering. "It's not a slug, silly. It's a plant!"

"WHAT KIND OF PLANT LOOKS LIKE THAT?!?!"

"A Kujihana plant of course!"

"Kuji…hana?"

Jacklyn stared for a moment more before her eyes widened in realization. "Oh! Now I get it! You guys don't have Kujihana plants, do you?"

"What's a kujihana plant?" asked Larry, eyeing the dish while wiping down a glass.

"It's a type of flower found on my home island. When a kujihana flower opens, it has one of these things at its center. We of the village then proceed to harvest them. It's one of the less dangerous kinds of plant we eat."

"Less dangerous?" asked Meg.

"I thought we'd gotten over the echo thing."

"Sorry."

"No problem." said Jacklyn smiling. She then picked up her fork and knife and cut off a large chunk of what looked to be the tail end. She then proceeded to stab it with the fork, and hold it out to Meg. "Here, try some."

Meg looked warily at the offering.

"Scared?" asked Jacklyn smirking.

Meg glared for a second before mustering the courage to take the fork. She slowly lifted the piece to her lips as everyone in the room, except Akai who was asleep on the floor, leaned forward.

Meg bit down on the fork. Her eyes quickly popped open. "It's good!"

"HAH! Told ya so!" yelled Jacklyn in triumph.

"Mind if I try some more?"

"Be my guest." Jacklyn slide the container towards her. Meg quickly cut off another piece of the plant.

"It's delicious! It has such a unique flavor."

"Thanks." said Jacklyn smiling and leaning against the counter. "My mom made it before I left home."

"Well, your mom is one great cook." said Meg.

"So, do you think you'd ever be able to cook something like that?"

Meg looked at Jacklyn before she started pondering the question. "Well, I'd have to get my hands on some more of this plant, and it would definitely take me a while to experiment with it to see what works, but give me some time, and I could make a dish so good it would make this seem bland by comparison."

"YES! Then it's decided. You're going to join my pirate crew as the new head chef."

"What?"

"Akai has to join too." said Jacklyn pointing toward the sleeping figure. "No choice."

"Wait, I never agreed to join any pirate crew!"

"Sure you did!" said Jacklyn patting Meg hard on the back.

"When?"

"Just now. You said 'give me some time, and I could make a dish so good it would make this seem bland by comparison.' That clearly implies that you'll come aboard my pirate ship as a new head chef, and make me more of this dish."

"How did you get all that from out of that one sentence?!" yelled Meg.

"Doesn't matter." said Jacklyn. "The point is that you're going to be my new head chef, and that Akai's going to be my new head…something. Haven't really got that far yet."

"Okay, just stop for a moment." Jacklyn stopped and stared at Meg. "Look, although it would probably be lots of fun to be on your crew…"

"It would, trust me. I'm a very fun kind of person. At least that's what the people back home told me."

"I'm sure you are, but the point is that I can't be on your pirate crew."

"But why noooooooot?" whined Jacklyn. "Come on. We could sail the seas, look for adventure, aaaand I have a whole bag of seeds from plants found on my home island back at my ship. If we could actually find some way to grow them you could invent a kajillion new recipes from ingredients found only on specific types of islands, not to mention all the new ingredients we'd find on the way."

Meg drifted off in thought for a moment. It did sound like a great opportunity, and she would like to see the world. Plus, there was always her goal. She shook her head. "Look, it sounds like a dream come true, but I barely know you. For instance, why did you become a pirate?"

"To become Queen of the Pirates of course!" said Jacklyn cheerfully.

Meg's eyes widened. "You're trying to become the Pirate Queen?"

"Yep. That's my goal, and I'm sticking to it."

"So, even on an island as secluded as yours they heard the news, huh?" said Meg.

"Heard it? We saw it."

The sound of glass shattering echoed through the tavern. Jacklyn turned her head towards Larry.

"You okay?"

Larry stared at her dazed for a moment before shaking his head. "Yeah, fine." The large, bald man quickly bent over and started picking up the pieces of the glass he had just been cleaning.

Meg slammed her hand down on the table. "That's a lie!" she yelled. Larry immediately stopped picking up glass as Akai, who had been woken by the glass, stared at the two girls. "How could you have seen it? The entire thing happened in the New World."

"Oh, that, well, you know the witch that one guy was talking about earlier?"

"Yeah."

"Well, like I said, although a lot of what he heard was wrong, we do have someone like that in our village."

"Someone who sics evil spirits on people?" asked Larry.

"No, someone who can see and hear everything." said Jacklyn.

"How?" asked Meg.

"Well first off, that witch that man was referring to was actually the town elder, Elder Kara, and secondly she can do such thing because of her Ban Ban no mi abilities."

"Ban Ban no mi?"

"Okay, I give up on telling people to stop repeating things right after someone said them."

"Oh, will you drop it and get on with the explanation?!"

"Okay, okay. Geez." said Jacklyn. "The Ban Ban no mi is a Devil's Fruit that allows the user to create a special type of spy creature. When created they come out as these floating black blob things, but Elder Kara figured out how to shape them so they look like crows."

"Once the blobs are created, the user of the fruit is able to see and hear anything the blob things see or hear, and can even use them to talk to people far away."

* * *

"_Gather round everyone. The announcement is about to start."_

_The entire population of Dusk Town was gathered in the central plaza staring up at what looked like a giant floating crystal ball, all talking amongst themselves._

"_I'm so excited."_

"_I wonder what kind of announcement the Pirate King's going to make."_

"_I don't know, but I bet it's exciting."_

"_Who cares? Where's Jacklyn? I must sit next to here, and cuddle up against her!"_

"_Quiet you."_

Meanwhile, _Jacklyn slowly closed the door to a nearby house._

"_Thanks for letting me hide out here Elder Kara. That freaky stalker guy is creeping me out."_

"_Don't worry honey." said Jacklyn's mother smiling sweetly. "Everyone has a stalker every now and again. Yours just happens to rank a ten on the creep-o-meter."_

"_Seriously." said Mr. Kitsubu. "I had to kick him out of our house the other day when I found him trying to steal a pair of your socks."_

"_That's just wrong." said Jacklyn._

"_Kakakakaka! It never ceases to amuse me how similar you Kitsubus are." _

"_What do you mean?" they all said at once._

"_Never mind. Never mind."_

"_Oh, that reminds me." said Jacklyn. "Did you set one of you balls up in Lilly's room."_

"_I may be old, but I'm not old enough to forget something like that." said the elder smiling .Jacklyn smiled back cheerfully. "Now let's hurry up and get a ball in the room before we miss the festivities."_

_Before another word could be spoken, the elder took a seat at the round table in the middle of the room. She held out her hands with her palms facing each other, and closed her eyes in concentration. The room went silent as a spark of blue light formed between her hands_

"_Hitome…Orb!" Just as she said this she flung her hands apart. Immediately the light expanded to roughly the size of a human head. It glowed a bright blue for a moment, filling the entire room with light, before the light faded revealing a perfect light blue sphere in its place._

"_I never get tired of watching that." said Mr. Kitsubu._

"_Quiet, child. It's time we establish the connection." The elder closed her eyes once more as she placed her hand on either side of the ball. The ball glowed for a moment before a picture began to form._

* * *

"So this elder of yours sent her 'spies' all the way to the Grand Line just so everyone in your town would have a front row view of the announcement."

"No, of course not. They were already there."

"Huh?"

"Elder Kara's been sending her spies out for years! She has spies in the New World, the Grand Line, the Calm Belt, you name it, though she refuses to tell anyone what she sees unless it's either of critical importance…or she runs out of material for her bed time stories."

"And an announcement by the Pirate King was of critical importance."

"You got it." said Jacklyn cheerfully. "But now for the best part of the story."

* * *

_Far Far away from the Dusk Island, the world's most famous Pirate stood high atop the figurehead of his ship, the infamous Thousand Sunny. Behind him, all lined up looking out at the crowd before them, were the other members of the world's most powerful crew, the Straw Hat Pirates._

_The entire area in front of the ship, stretching out as far as the eye could see, were other ships, some bigger, some smaller, but every one of them filled with pirates, all desperately waiting for the announcement to be made. Unbeknownst to the crews below, a large flock of what appeared to be crows had perched themselves among the ships, each of the bird staring with the utmost concentration at the figure before them._

_The man standing atop the figurehead slowly reached his hand up before grabbing the front edge of the straw hat that had been a symbol of his dream since the first days of his piratehood. Immediately the entire sea seemed to hush in anticipation._

_A figure wearing a bright yellow, sun shaped mask handed a transmitter DenDen mushi to the captain. The captain slowly lifted the receiver off the snail, which caused the giant broadcaster DenDen mushi it was connected to spring into awareness. _

"_EVERYONE!" He shouted. "READY FOR A GOOD TIME?!"_

_Immediately the area filled with a deafening cheer as the pirates sounded their admiration for their king. After what seemed like an eternity the crowd finally calmed down. After a moment of silence, the Pirate King once again lifted the receiver to his mouth, smiling._

"_I've had a great time these past twenty years as King of the Pirates." Again, the crowd before him burst into an abnormally long string of applause. Several of the ships launched what appeared to be fireworks into the air in celebration._

"_Oi, oi! That's no way to throw a party!" This immediately silenced the crowd. "You need music too! Brook!"_

_Immediately a tall skeleton in a tuxedo stepped up the receiver with a violin. There was a moment of silence as the crowd hushed in anticipation._

"_Yo-hohoho!  
Yo-hohoho!  
Yo-hohoho!  
Yo-hohoho!"_

_The call was immediately taken up by nearly every single pirate in the area._

"_Yo-hohoho!  
Yo-hohoho!  
Yo-hohoho!  
Yo-hohoho!"_

_As miles of pirate sang, danced, and stomped on the decks of their ships to the rhythm of the song, every single self-respecting musician in the crowd took up the call, bringing up their instruments, whatever they may be, and falling into tune with the undead maestro. _

"_Binkusu no sake o, todoke ni yuku yo  
Umikaze kimakase namimakase  
Shio no mukou de, yuuhi mo sawagu  
Sora nya wa wo kaku, tori no uta..__."_

"_Sanji!" shouted the Pirate King. "Food!"_

_A blonde man behind him nodded before turning to the man wearing the sun shaped mask. The masked man nodded in response to something said by the cook, before running out of sight behind the large mast in the middle of the ship. There was a thwang that resounded throughout the area as hundreds, thousands, of boxes were launched into the air. Just as the boxes reached their peak in the air, a small parachute opened on top of each box._

_A great cheer rose up amongst the crowd as the enormous cloud of boxes drifted out over the crowd. Each box landed on one of the surrounding ships, drifting over and landing on the miles of ships with insane precision. The boxes were immediately torn open to reveal some of the most delicious looking food ever seen by any of those assembled._

* * *

"Wait, how does all this relate to the big announcement?" asked Meg.

"I'm getting to that! Be patient!" yelled Jacklyn.

"Well, you better hurry." said Larry. "Akai's starting to drift back to sleep."

And indeed, Akai was already starting to nod off against the counter.

"Akaaaaaiii! Wake up! This is not a bed time story!" yelled Jacklyn to no avail.

"Just get on with the story, and _maybe_ he won't go completely unconscious." said Meg.

"Okay, so the entire village started dancing along to the music. Before you knew it all the people started bringing out food, and old lady Clammer even brought out her guitar."

"Old lady Clammer?" asked Larry.

"Yeah, but don't let the name fool you. She may be old, but she is the one of the hardest rockers on the entire island. You should see her play with her teeth, granted she does take them out of her mouth to do it."

"Just skip to the part about the announcement!" yelled Meg in frustration.

"Okay, okay, geez. Impatient much?"

* * *

_The Pirate King laughed loudly holding a glass of frothy orange liquid on the figure head of the ship._

"_Oi! Oi! Quiet everyone! Quiet!" he yelled laughing. No one made any sign of acknowledgment. "Soge King!"_

_The masked man from before nodded before loading something into what looked like a giant slingshot. The man pulled back on the string, before launching it into the air. A giant explosion suddenly lit the sky, sending out a shockwave that shook every boat in the assembled crow who immediately became silent._

_The Pirate King let out a loud laugh before he settled down to speak. "Has everyone enjoyed the party?!" The crowd let out a loud cheer, which took yet another fifteen minutes to quiet down. "AAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!"_

"_LUFFY!" yelled a red haired woman. "GET ON WITH IT!!!"_

"_Okay. Okay." The Pirate King looked forlorn for a moment before immediately perking back up. "As you all know I've been Pirate King for twenty years now." Another loud cheer._

"_**QUIET!!!" **__yelled the red head. That one yell immediately cowed the boisterous crowd of fearsome pirates._

_The Pirate King smiled before continuing. "I've been King of the Pirates for twenty years now," he repeated. "and it's been a ton of fun. I've sailed the Grand Line, found treasure, and kicked the butts of the strongest pirates the sea had to offer." Another loud burst of cheers erupted from this comment, which was once again silenced by a single yell from the red haired woman. "I've had the greatest adventures anyone could ever imagine, and now…I'm bored."_

_The was a long moment of silence._

"_**?!?!?!"**_

_There was an enormous clamber among the assembled pirates. _

"_I've been Pirate King for so long, that I've done every adventure that I could think of. Plus, since I became Pirate King, I've run out of strong people to fight, and every time someone tries to challenge me to a fight, someone else steps in the 'defend my honor'. I can defend my own honor!"_

"_Less and less people seem to be setting sail for adventure. It's like the Age of Pirates is ending because people have run out of dreams, so I'm doing something that will rekindle the spirit of adventure! I'm going to do something that will start…A SUPER GOLDEN AGE OF PIRATES!!!!"_

_A great mummer went up amongst the assembly._

"_I'm going on a new adventure." said the Pirate King. "I'm going on the greatest adventure ever! An adventure that no one has ever been on before! The greatest…IN HISTORY!!!"_

_There was a mixed reaction from the crowd._

"_The title of Pirate King is once again up for grabs!" shouted the straw hat wearing man, much to the shock of the crowd. "I've hidden One Piece somewhere new. Somewhere that no one except me knows where it is, and if you want to find out where it is, you have to catch me first!" _

"_FRANKY, NOW!!!" shouted the red headed woman from before._

"_SUPAAAAA!!!" A blue haired man pulled a lever sticking out of the deck of the ship. A loud whirring sound slowly filled the air as a strange electricity crackled through the air around the ship._

"_I've left the key to finding me where my reign as Pirate King began." said the straw hat wearing man._

_A giant flash of light suddenly erupted from around the ship, blinding everyone in the area with its intensity._

* * *

_Meanwhile, in a far away village, a giant crystal ball in the central plaza shattered to pieces, much to the shock of the people who had been watching it._

"_What's going on?!" shouted Mrs. Kitsubu._

"_The light is disrupting my signal!" shouted Elder Kara as several cracks started to form in the ball between her hands._

"_Can you hold it for a little longer?" asked Jacklyn._

"_I can try!"_

"_Please do!"_

_Elder Kara nodded before she started moving her hands closer to the sides of the ball with a look of extreme concentration on her face. The room filled with blue light as the cracks started to disappear._

"_YOUR ADVENTURE STARTS NOW!!" yelled the Pirate King. "CATCH ME IF YOU CAN!!!"_

_Suddenly the level of the light increased tenfold for just a moment before disappearing entirely. All the assembled pirates, plus five people far, far away gasped. The place where the Pirate King had just been, the place where the Pirate King, his enormous ship, and all his crew had just been, was now completely empty. The Pirate King was gone, without a trace._

_Jacklyn, her parents, and Elder Kara all leaned in to look at the ball. Suddenly, without warning, the ball exploded, sending chunks of crystal flying across the room while simultaneously scaring the wits out of those watching. The pieces of the ball lay still for a moment before suddenly hissing and dissolving into the blue energy from which it was formed._

"_Well, that was weird." commented Mrs. Kitsubu._

"_Way to state the obvious, Mom." said Jacklyn._

"_Seriously." said Mr. Kitsubu._

_A sudden shriek of terror shot down the stairs causing everyone in the room to jump._

"_I'm going to guess the crystal ball in Lilly's room just blew up." said Jacklyn._

"_How did it last longer than ours?" asked Mrs. Kitsubu._

"_Don't know," said Elder Kara. "But how about we go check on Lilly before we start trying to figure out that particular mystery?"_

"_Good plan."_

_Elder Kara and the Kitsubu couple started walking out of the room._

"_Coming Jacklyn?" asked Mrs. Kitsubu._

""_You go on ahead," said Jacklyn. "I'll catch up."_

"_Okay." Jacklyn's mom smiled before leaving the room. Jacklyn stared at the place where the crystal ball had been, the words of the Pirate King echoing through her head._

"YOUR ADVENTURE STARTS NOW!!!"_ yelled the Pirate King. "_CATCH ME IF YOU CAN!!!"

_Jacklyn stared on for a moment as the words played over and over in her head. Suddenly she smiled._

"_Adventure, huh?" Jacklyn continued staring at the spot as an image of the laughing king flashed before her eyes. "I accept your challenge!"_

* * *

Larry and Meg stared blankly forward in shock as Akai finally slumped over the counter asleep before sliding off his stool, and falling to the floor soon after.

"They say the marines have put an increased bounty on any of the pirates who were close enough to see the event clearly." said Larry.

"They also say that several non-pirates who were at the event are now under close Marine surveillance, some of whom were very influential leaders of powerful countries inside and outside of the Grand Line." said Meg.

"Well, I guess five people outside the event escaped that particular treatment." said Jacklyn smiling.

"Five?" asked Meg.

"Yes, five. That's how many people on my island saw the event from beginning to end."

"What about the rest of your village?" asked Larry.

"I told you. The ball in the town plaza shattered before they could see the last part. Only myself, Elder Kara, Lilly, and my parents saw the full thing."

"Wow." said Meg.

"Yeah, wow. Now, back to business."

"What business?"

"The bread business, actually. I was thinking of opening a bakery. You know, wake up early, bake the cakes, eat all the cookies I could ever want till the day I die. Sounds like a pretty good deal, huh?"

"Be serious." said Meg with a sigh.

"I'm talking about the business of you and Akai joining my crew! Now, ya in or ya out?"

"Out." said Meg. "There's no way we're joining a pirate crew." Larry picked up a glass and started polishing it while listening to the conversation.

"Come oooooon! You have to join. There is no logical reason why you should be refusing my offer."

"How about the fact that I have to stay here to keep this tavern afloat, not to mention watch over the island and keep it safe?"

"I said logical reason."

"That's not logical?"

"Not by my logic. It's a little different than regular logic. It has a slightly different flavor, and lasts twice as long when refrigerated."

"What?"

"Never mind."

Meg sighed. "Look, the point is I can't join your crew. I have far too many duties here."

"Meg." The blonde cook turned her head to Larry.

"Yes?"

"You're fired."

There was a long moment of silence.

"What?" asked Meg in disbelief.

"I said you're fired. Akai too." said the bartender jerking his head towards the figure sprawled out on the floor.

Meg's face remained frozen in shock before slowly transforming into a mask of rage. "You can't fire me! I'm the best cook here! I'm the _only_ cook here! How are you going to function without my food?"

"We survived before you came, and we'll survive after you leave."

Meg stared at him for a moment longer, before sighing and holding out her hands. "Listen, Larry. I know what you're trying to do, but it won't work." Meg folded her arms, and narrowed her eyes. " I'm not going anywhere, and that's that."

"Is that so?"

"Yes, it's so."

The two glared at each other for a long moment. Jacklyn kept shifting her gaze between the two, while Akai remained blissfully oblivious in peaceful slumber. Larry smiled.

"Fine. Fine. You win. I guess I can't _force_ you to go." said the bartender holding up his hands in defeat.

"That's right." said Meg smiling in victory.

"Yep. Now, how about we celebrate your victory?" Larry reached down behind the bar, and pulled out a bottle of rum. Suddenly, his hand seemed to slip, causing the bottle to fall from his grip, and land on the wooden counter, shattering to pieces, and spilling it's liquid contents all along the bar.. "Oops."

"That's okay Larry." said Meg cheerfully. "I'll get the…" Meg went silent as Larry lit a match from a book he had pulled from his pocket. "What are you…"

Larry smiled before dropping the match into the spilt liquid.

"LAAAARRY!!!" Meg could only watch, mouth wide open, as the liquid went up in flames.

"Get some water, quick!" yelled the cook as she took of her coat, and started using it to beat the flames out. Unfortunatly this had little effect.

"What's the point of having your own tavern if your employees won't listen to you?" asked Larry smiling with his eyes closed as he took out another bottle of rum.

"Stop! Don't…" Meg trailed off as Larry dropped the bottle on the counter. The bottle broke upon impact, and the spilled contents were devoured greedily by the hungry flame, doubling it in size.

"LARRY STOP!!!" Meg beat the fire several more times with her jacket before turning around, and grabbing Akai by the shirt.

"Akai! Wake up! This is an emergency!!!" No luck. "AKAAAAAAIIIII!!!" She continued yelling at him, rapidly shaking him all the while.

"I wonder how many bottles it'll take before this entire place goes up in smoke?" mused Larry as he lifted eight more bottle up from behind the counter.

"No!" Meg quickly dropped Akai, and ran towards the counter.

"Probably not many considering how many bottles I have stashed behind the counter. Once the fire hits those the blaze should get pretty toasty and once it gets to the basement, you know, the one with all the racks filled with our entire supply of alcohol, well, let's just say we'll have a fire fit for a king's oven."

"Larry, stop! I surrender! I surrender!" yelled the cook frantically.

"Come again." said Larry holding his hand to his ear. "I couldn't quite her you over the fire."

"I said I give up! You win! We'll go with Jacklyn! Just stop trying to burn the place down!"

"YES!" yelled Jacklyn pumping a metal fist in the air before hopping off her stool. She immediately ran over, and wrapped her arms around Meg's neck. "I promise you won't regret it." Larry smiled before replacing the bottles of rum under the counter, and pulling out two pitchers of water. He then proceeded to expertly slosh the contents of the pitchers over the fire, extinguishing almost all of it in one go. The rest was quickly beaten out with a little help from Meg's jacket, and a wet dish towel.

Meg wiped her brow in relief before turning to glare at Larry. "That was a dirty trick you pulled."

Larry slapped the wet towel on the counter, and started cleaning off what would come off of the scorch marks. "Had to do something to get you out of here."

Meg continued to glare, though she couldn't help but smile a little at the bartender's antics. Jacklyn tired to hold back her laughter at the scene, but quickly failed after about two second of minimal effort. Her laughter earned her a pair of stares from the Meg and Larry, but it wasn't long until they started cracking up as well.

Meanwhile, unbeknownst to the three, Akai was watching them from the corner of his eye. A ghost of a smile played softly across his lips, before he drifted back into peaceful sleep.

* * *

"WHAT IS THIS?!?!"

Meg stood at the docks of Shiroishi with mouth wide open as she, Akai, and Larry all stared with varied reactions at the object Jacklyn was indicating.

"It's our ship, silly." said Jacklyn, smiling. The assembled trio all turned their attention back to the thing floating in the water.

"It looks like a metal plated bathtub!" said Meg.

"Correction. The bathtub was only the base for it. I made everything else."

"Let's get this straight." said Larry. "You have no crew other than these two, little money, and a bathtub for a boat."

"A technologically _enhanced_ bathtub." corrected Jacklyn.

"How are we going to fit?" asked Meg. "There's barely enough room for you and that giant bag."

"Don't worry. I made a recent purchase that will solve all our problems."

"And that is…"

"Oi! Little girl!" Everyone turned their heads to see a hefty man in a sleeveless blue shirt and brown pants with a blue band tied around his bald head. "I got that thing you asked for."

"Great," said Jacklyn smiling. "Bring it over."

* * *

"This is humiliating."

Meg sat with her arms crossed across from Akai in the middle of a large, wooden, hot spring style bathtub along with their bags.

"Come on. It's nice, and roomy, and…"

"It's a bathtub!"

"Think of it this way." said Larry smiling. "If you ever get really dirty at sea, you can splash some seawater from over the side and take a bath right there."

"Haha. Very funny."

"Oh, I know!" said Jacklyn. "How about instead of trying to find a ship, we just get a bunch of bathtubs, and string them together."

"You're joking right."

"Think about it." Jacklyn suddenly struck a dramatic pose with one foot on the edge of the boat, and her metal fist held high in the air. "We shall be known as the Bathtub Pirates. We shall sail the North Blue, and, eventually, the Grand Line in squeaky cleanness. Our enemies shall tremble before our bubbly might, and we shall cow entire crews of the most fearsome pirates with a super secret weapon, the Giant Rubber Ducky of Infinitesimal DOOM!!! We…"

"QUIET!" Jacklyn was immediately hit on top of the head by an infuriated Meg.

"Ow. You know, I bet Pirate King Luffy never had to deal with this kind of abuse."

Meg just shook her head. "Come on. Let's just get out of here before I come to my senses."

"Right." shouted Jacklyn, excited. "Off we go! Set non-existent sails for adventure!" Jacklyn took out the glowing orange tube from her bag.

"What is that?"

"All in good time, my dear Meggy. All in good time."

Meg looked like she wanted to press the issue, but decided against it. She instead stood up, and turned to face Larry. "Well, Larry. It looks like this is where we part ways."

Larry nodded. "It's been fun, but ya gotta do what ya gotta do. Just make sure to come back and visit once you've invented all those new recipes." Meg smiled before the two of them shared a long hug. Meg eventually let go.

Larry turned his head towards Akai. "Akai, even though you slept through most of your time at the tavern, it's still been an honor to know you."

"Thanks." said Akai.

Larry nodded. "Jacklyn, take 'em away."

"Awwww, don't you want to give each other a big group hug before breaking down in a tearful, heartfelt goodbye that lasts for hours, and goes through a really long stroll down memory lane."

"Just get going." said Meg, though she was smiling as she said it.

"Okay." Jacklyn cheerfully shoved the glowing orange tube in the back of the bat shaped figure head. The bat's eye lit up, and immediately the wheels on the side of the boat started paddling the boat away from the docks.

"Bye Larry! Take Care!" yelled Meg waving. Larry waved back. Meg smiled before turning around. "Well, Akai, it looks like we're finally on a new adventure." Meg looked down at Akai only to find him already snoozing away with his head hanging over the side of the ship. Meg laughed.

"So, Captain," said the blonde cook. "Where are we off to next?"

"I have no idea." said Jacklyn cheerfully. "I don't have a map, remember."

"So, you were going to sail around aimlessly hoping that you eventually hit an island?"

"Pretty much, but, hey, the road to where you're going is half the adventure, and if you don't know where you're going, then that must make it twice as fun."

Meg shook her head. "Why me?"

"Just lucky I suppose." Meg slumped over in her part of the boat. She looked up and watched as her new captain cheerfully steered the boat on to lands unknown.

Meg smiled. _"Well, she may be a weirdo, but she's our weirdo now."_ Meg leaned back in the boat, and put her hands behind her head. It would probably be a while until they reached the next island, so Meg thought it would be a very nice time to take a nice long nap.

"Hey, was that a sea king?"

* * *

**Hey, everyone! Sorry it took so long to update, but homework's been kicking by butt so hard that I think it's actually starting to turn into an and. Get it? It's a grammar joke! But, and, conjunctions. Hahahaha…haha..yeeeaaaah, lame joke, but you have to admit, this is a seriously long chapter, and it contains a lot of background information for the story.**

**Yeah, I know that this stories defies the typical "And Pirate King Luffy was executed launching the second Golden Age of Pirates" type motif, but I just couldn't bring myself to kill off any of the canon characters. I LOVE THEM SO MUCH!!!!!! So, I figured out a way around that little pothole. It actually works out for the better. Just trying to figure out a way not to kill him has given me so many plot ideas that this story will probably last long past the end of the actual series! (Though if my letter to Santa works out, I'm hoping I'll be somewhere in my eighties before the awesomeness that is One Piece ends, if not older.) ^^ I'd like to give a shout out to **_Amethyst Turtle_** whose satirical stories actually give great advice on how to create a truly original story. You should read her work. SHE ISH AWESOME SAUCE!!!**

**Anyway, that's my rant for this chapter. As always, make sure to review (If you want. No pressure), and send in plenty of characters. They are still desperately needed, especially villains (though crew members, rivals, and other such characters would still be appreciated!) Until next time, HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!!!!!!!!!! ^^ **


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